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HMS Ramillies (1892)
Encyclopedia
HMS Ramillies was a pre-dreadnought battleship of Royal Navy
and part of the seven ship Royal Sovereign'
class.
and launched on 1 March 1892 at a cost of just over £900,000. She was built at such a shallow inclination that it took her 86 minutes to slide down the ways, even with rams pushing and tugs pulling her, sometimes moving at a rate too slow to be perceived by the human eye, and most of the crowd gathered to see her launching had left before she was in the water.
She displaced 14,150 tons and was 380 feet (115.8 m) long with a beam of 75 feet (22.9 m) and a draught of 27' 6". She produced 13000 hp and could make 17.5 knots (34.3 km/h). At full strength she carried a complement of over seven hundred. At the time of their completion, she and her sisters were perhaps the best all-round battleships in the world. Their greater freeboard enhanced their seagoing capabilities, enabling them to engage the enemy in rougher seas than previous designs, an important consideration in the North Sea
and North Atlantic; however, they tended to develop a heavy roll in some conditions, and after HMS Resolution
rolled badly in heavy seas in 1893 the entire class was nicknamed the "Rolling Ressies," a name which stuck even though the problem was quickly corrected by the fitting of bilge keels. The ships were also faster and better armoured than their predecessors and carried a potent secondary armament but these features inevitably increased their weight, with previous battleships seldom topping 10,000 tonnes. [2] Her main armament consisted of four 13.5-inch (343-mm) guns in two barbettes with a secondary set of ten 6-inch (152-mm) guns. She also sported an array of smaller guns and seven 18-inch (457-mm) torpedo tubes. She had a partial belt of 18-inch- (457-mm-) thick steel.
, Mediterranean Fleet
, flying the flag of Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour
, KCB. She departed Spithead
on 28 October 1893 for the Mediterranean, arriving at Malta
on 8 November 1893, where she relieved battleship
HMS Sans Pareil
as flagship. She served as one of the flagship
s of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1897, alongside battleship HMS Revenge
, and flew the flag of Admiral Sir John O. Hopkins, the Commander-in-Chief.
On 9 December 1896, Ramillies recommissioned at Malta for further Mediterranean Fleet service. In July 1899, she became a private ship
in the Mediterranean Fleet, relieved as flagship by battleship HMS Renown
. On 12 January 1900, she became the flagship of Rear Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet.
In 1902, Ramillies missed combined maneuvers off Greece
when she was detained at Malta from 29 September 1902 to 6 October 1902 due the illness of Rear Admiral Watson.
On 16 October 1902, Ramillies was relieved as flagship by battleship HMS Venerable
. In August 1903 she took part in combined maneuvers off Portugal
. She then paid off from Mediterranean Fleet service and returned to England, where she went into the Portsmouth Reserve to undergo a refit at Chatham. On 3 January 1905 she commissioned into reserve at Chatham.
On 25 April 1905, Ramillies transferred her crew to battleship HMS London
. The next day, she recommissioned with a new crew for service in the Sheerness-Chatham Reserve Division. On 30 January 1906, she transferred that crew to battleship HMS Albemarle
and recommissioned with yet another crew for service in the Chatham Reserve.
In June 1906, Ramillies participated in combined maneuvers of the Atlantic Fleet, Channel Fleet
, and Reserve Fleet. During the maneuvers, she collided near the Tongue Lightship on 16 June 1906 with battleship HMS Resolution
, suffering stern damage and having her propellers disabled. On 6 November 1906, she transferred her crew to the battleship HMS Africa
.
On 9 March 1907, Ramillies recommissioned at Devonport
with a reduced crew in the Special Service Division of the Home Fleet. In October 1910, she became Parent Ship in the Home Fleet's 4th Division. Her sister ship HMS Royal Oak
relieved her of her Parent ship duties in June 1911.
Impressive as they were upon their completion, ships such as Ramillies were entirely outclassed by the new dreadnought
s that began to appear in 1906. She was reduced to material reserve at Devonport in August 1911, and was stripped and laid up at Motherbank
for disposal in July 1913. She was sold for scrapping on 7 October 1913, and was towed to Italy to be scrapped in November 1913.
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...
and part of the seven ship Royal Sovereign'
Royal Sovereign class battleship
The Royal Sovereign class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the British Royal Navy. The class comprised seven ships built to the same design: HMS Royal Sovereign, , HMS Ramilles, HMS Repulse, HMS Resolution, HMS Revenge, and HMS Royal Oak, and a half-sister built to a modified design: ....
class.
Technical Characteristics
Ramillies was ordered under the Naval Defence Act Programme of 1889, built and engined by J and G Thompson of ClydebankClydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
and launched on 1 March 1892 at a cost of just over £900,000. She was built at such a shallow inclination that it took her 86 minutes to slide down the ways, even with rams pushing and tugs pulling her, sometimes moving at a rate too slow to be perceived by the human eye, and most of the crowd gathered to see her launching had left before she was in the water.
She displaced 14,150 tons and was 380 feet (115.8 m) long with a beam of 75 feet (22.9 m) and a draught of 27' 6". She produced 13000 hp and could make 17.5 knots (34.3 km/h). At full strength she carried a complement of over seven hundred. At the time of their completion, she and her sisters were perhaps the best all-round battleships in the world. Their greater freeboard enhanced their seagoing capabilities, enabling them to engage the enemy in rougher seas than previous designs, an important consideration in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and North Atlantic; however, they tended to develop a heavy roll in some conditions, and after HMS Resolution
HMS Resolution (1892)
HMS Resolution was a Royal Sovereign-class predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy.-Technical characteristics:Resolution was laid down by Palmers on 14 June 1890, launched on 28 May 1892, and completed in November 1893.. She was long and had a maximum cruising speed of...
rolled badly in heavy seas in 1893 the entire class was nicknamed the "Rolling Ressies," a name which stuck even though the problem was quickly corrected by the fitting of bilge keels. The ships were also faster and better armoured than their predecessors and carried a potent secondary armament but these features inevitably increased their weight, with previous battleships seldom topping 10,000 tonnes. [2] Her main armament consisted of four 13.5-inch (343-mm) guns in two barbettes with a secondary set of ten 6-inch (152-mm) guns. She also sported an array of smaller guns and seven 18-inch (457-mm) torpedo tubes. She had a partial belt of 18-inch- (457-mm-) thick steel.
Operational history
Ramillies was commissioned at Portsmouth, United Kingdom, on 17 October 1893 as FlagshipFlagship
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...
, Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
, flying the flag of Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour
Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet was a senior Royal Navy officer. On 17 September 1880 he became 3rd Baronet, on the death of his father...
, KCB. She departed Spithead
Spithead
Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...
on 28 October 1893 for the Mediterranean, arriving at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
on 8 November 1893, where she relieved battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Sans Pareil
HMS Sans Pareil (1887)
HMS Sans Pareil was a Victoria Class battleship of the British Royal Navy of the Victorian era, her only sister-ship being .In deciding upon her design configuration the Board of Admiralty took what history shows was a retrograde step by requesting the reversion from barbettes to turrets for her...
as flagship. She served as one of the 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...
s of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1897, alongside battleship HMS Revenge
HMS Revenge (1892)
HMS Revenge was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Sovereign class of the British Royal Navy. She was renamed HMS Redoubtable in 1915. HMS Revenge notably served as the flagship of the Flying Squadron and bombarding the coast of Flanders during World War I before being refitted as an...
, and flew the flag of Admiral Sir John O. Hopkins, the Commander-in-Chief.
On 9 December 1896, Ramillies recommissioned at Malta for further Mediterranean Fleet service. In July 1899, she became a private ship
Private ship
Private ship is a term used in the British Royal Navy to describe that status of a commissioned warship in active service that is not currently serving as the flagship of a flag officer . The term in no way implies any type of private ownership of the vessel, but is more akin to private...
in the Mediterranean Fleet, relieved as flagship by battleship HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1895)
HMS Renown was a predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. Third and last of the lightly armed, long-range Centurion class, she had an upgraded design compared to her two sister ships HMS Centurion and HMS Barfleur....
. On 12 January 1900, she became the flagship of Rear Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet.
In 1902, Ramillies missed combined maneuvers off Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
when she was detained at Malta from 29 September 1902 to 6 October 1902 due the illness of Rear Admiral Watson.
On 16 October 1902, Ramillies was relieved as flagship by battleship HMS Venerable
HMS Venerable (1899)
HMS Venerable was a London class predreadnought battleship, a sub-class of the Formidable class battleships, and the third ship of the British Royal Navy to bear the name.-Technical Description:...
. In August 1903 she took part in combined maneuvers off Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. She then paid off from Mediterranean Fleet service and returned to England, where she went into the Portsmouth Reserve to undergo a refit at Chatham. On 3 January 1905 she commissioned into reserve at Chatham.
On 25 April 1905, Ramillies transferred her crew to battleship HMS London
HMS London (1899)
HMS London was a Formidable class battleship in the British Royal Navy, often considered to be part of the London class or subclass.-Technical Description:...
. The next day, she recommissioned with a new crew for service in the Sheerness-Chatham Reserve Division. On 30 January 1906, she transferred that crew to battleship HMS Albemarle
HMS Albemarle (1901)
HMS Albemarle was a pre-Dreadnought Duncan-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle.-Technical Description:...
and recommissioned with yet another crew for service in the Chatham Reserve.
In June 1906, Ramillies participated in combined maneuvers of the Atlantic Fleet, Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
, and Reserve Fleet. During the maneuvers, she collided near the Tongue Lightship on 16 June 1906 with battleship HMS Resolution
HMS Resolution (1892)
HMS Resolution was a Royal Sovereign-class predreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy.-Technical characteristics:Resolution was laid down by Palmers on 14 June 1890, launched on 28 May 1892, and completed in November 1893.. She was long and had a maximum cruising speed of...
, suffering stern damage and having her propellers disabled. On 6 November 1906, she transferred her crew to the battleship HMS Africa
HMS Africa (1905)
HMS Africa was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. She was the penultimate ship of the King Edward VII class. Like all ships of the class , she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely Africa....
.
On 9 March 1907, Ramillies recommissioned at Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
with a reduced crew in the Special Service Division of the Home Fleet. In October 1910, she became Parent Ship in the Home Fleet's 4th Division. Her sister ship HMS Royal Oak
HMS Royal Oak (1892)
HMS Royal Oak was a pre-dreadnought Royal Navy battleship of the seven-ship Royal Sovereign class.-Technical Characteristics:Royal Oak was ordered under the Naval Defence Act Programme of 7 March 1889 and built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead at a cost of £977,996. She was launched on 5 November 1892...
relieved her of her Parent ship duties in June 1911.
Impressive as they were upon their completion, ships such as Ramillies were entirely outclassed by the new dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s that began to appear in 1906. She was reduced to material reserve at Devonport in August 1911, and was stripped and laid up at Motherbank
Motherbank
The Motherbank is a shallow sandbar off the northeast coast of the county Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. It lies in The Solent between Cowes and Ryde....
for disposal in July 1913. She was sold for scrapping on 7 October 1913, and was towed to Italy to be scrapped in November 1913.