HMS Raleigh was a Hawkins-class

Hawkins class cruiser

The Hawkins class was a class of five heavy cruisers of the Royal Navy designed in 1915 and constructed throughout the First World War. All ships were named after Elizabethan sea captains...

 heavy cruiser

Heavy cruiser

The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. She was commissioned as part of the British North Atlantic squadron in 1921.

She had a full load displacement of 12000 LT (12,192.6 t) (light, 9700 LT (9,855.7 t)), an overall length of 605 ft (184.4 m), and carried a complement of 700 officers and men. She was the only unit of the Hawkins class to be completed with 70000 shp machinery, and on trials off Isle of Arran

Isle of Arran

Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...

 from 7-9 September 1920 reached her designed speed of 31 kn (37.8 mph; 60.8 km/h) at full power of 71350 shp. At half power, 35000 shp, she still managed to make 28 kn (34.1 mph; 54.9 km/h). After trials the ship proceeded to Devonport

HMNB Devonport

Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...

 for completion as a flagship.

In April 1922, Sir William Christopher Pakenham

William Christopher Pakenham

Admiral Sir William Christopher Pakenham, KCB, KCMG, KCVO was a British observer with the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War, during World War I he commanded the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron during the Battle of Jutland, and from December 1916 was Commander-in-Chief of the Battle...

 was Admiral of the Royal Navy's America and West Indies Station and he designated HMS Raleigh as his flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

. Sir Arthur Bromley was captain of HMS Raleigh. It was through his negligence that the ship was lost. On 8 August 1922, Captain Bromley sped the flagship through a thick fog and ran her aground at Point Amour in Forteau Bay

Forteau Bay

Forteau Bay is a natural bay on the coast of Labrador in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.-References:...

, Labrador

Labrador

Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...

. Eleven sailors were drowned in the shipwreck.

The cruiser was a total write-off. The ship remained hard-aground and upright for four years. During this period, she was stripped of all salvageable items and was destroyed with explosives in September 1926.