The March 21, 1901 launch of the battleship Duncan at Thames Ironworks went without problem, however relatively few people were in attendance compared to the previous ship launched at the same yard. The battleship Albion had been launched on June 21, 1898 and when she slid into the water a wave caused a reviewing stand to collapse sending over 200 people into the water, tragically thirty-four mostly women and children were drowned.

Even though Duncan was not launched from the same slipway as Albion only a few invited guests were on hand, but the public crowded any space that could be found near the yard. At 13:50 Mrs. A. F. Hills christened the ship with a bottle of South Australian wine and cut the cord which released the dog shores and Duncan slid quietly into the water. As the Thames was running very high the ship was quickly brought to a stop without incident. Duncan served until 1920 when she was sold for scrap.