HMS Formidable |
Type: |
Battleship |
Class: |
|
Builder: |
Portsmouth Dockyard Plymouth, England |
Pennant Number: |
N/A |
Ordered: |
1897 |
Commissioned: |
October 10, 1901 |
Keel Laid: |
March 21, 1898 |
Decommissioned: |
N/A |
Launched: |
November 17, 1898 |
Stricken: |
N/A |
Fate: |
Sunk Jan. 1, 1915 by SMS U-24 (torpedo). Location: English Channel 29 miles east of Start Point, England. (50.13.14N - 03.03.99W) 547 crewmen killed, 233 survivors. Some picked up by HMS Topaze and HMS Diamond, others by the trawler Provident while others made land in lifeboats. (Roll of Honour) |
Dimensions, machinery and performance |
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Length: |
429' 7" |
Engines: |
2 three cylinder vertically inverted triple expansion |
Beam: |
75' 4" |
Boilers: |
20 Belleville (coal fired) |
Draft: |
25' 9" std / 29' max |
Shafts: |
2 |
Displacement: |
15,000 std |
HP: |
14,921 (std.) 16,059 (full) |
Speed: |
18 knots |
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Crew: |
780 |
Range: |
N/A |
Armament as built
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Number Carried
|
Type
|
Arrangement
|
Maximum Range / Ceiling
|
4 |
12"/40 (305mm) |
2 twin turrets |
26,500 yards @ 30° (15 miles) 850 lb. AP shell Rate of fire 1.5 RPM |
12 |
6"/45 (152mm) |
single mounts |
15,800 yards @ 20° (8.9 miles) 100 lb. HE shell Rate of fire 5-7 RPM |
16 |
3"/40 (76mm) 12 CWT |
single mounts |
11,750 yards @ 40° (6.6 miles) 12.9 lb. HE shell Rate of fire 15 RPM |
6 |
1.85"/50 (47mm) |
single mounts |
5,600 yards @ 12° (2.8 miles) 3.3 lb. HE shell Rate of fire 25 RPM |
4 |
18" (450mm) torpedo tubes |
submerged |
History |
|
1901: |
Assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet. |
1908: |
Assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron Channel Fleet. |
Apr.- Aug. 1909: |
Refit at Chatham Dockyard. |
Aug. 1909: |
Assigned to the Home Fleet. |
1910: |
Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. |
May 1912: |
Placed in reduced commission with the 2nd Fleet at the Nore. |
1912-1914: |
Assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron Channel Fleet. |
Aug. 25, 1914: |
Took part in transport of Portsmouth Marine battalion to Ostend, Belgium. |
Oct.-Nov. 1914: |
Attached to the Dover Patrol for attacks on the Belgian coast. |
Feb. 18, 1915: |
Attack on forts. Later took part in other bombardment and support of landings. |
Jan. 1 , 1915: |
Sunk. |
(History provided by Gordon Smith)
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Builder's Data |
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Page published Feb. 2, 2008 |