HMS Boadicea (1908)

HMS Boadicea was the lead ship of the Boadicea-class scout cruisers which served with the Royal Navy. She was built at Pembroke Dockyard, being laid down in June 1907, launched on 14 May 1908 and commissioned in June 1909.

Design
Designed to provide destroyer flotillas with a command ship capable of outclassing enemy destroyers with her six 4 in guns, Boadicea proved too slow in service from the start of her career. Her 25 kn was barely capable of matching the speeds of the River-class destroyers she led in the 1st Flotilla in 1909 but proved inadequate to match the 26 kn of the Beagle-class destroyers which took over in 1910, and the Acheron class, which could reach 32 kn.

Career
She joined the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow at the start of hostilities in the First World War and was attached to the Second Battle Squadron. Further shortcomings were exposed as she proved unable to take the rough conditions in the North Sea, losing her bridge on 15 December 1914, with several men drowned. She then had to return to port while her Squadron chased German raiders off the Yorkshire coast in December 1914.

Boadicea was rearmed in 1916, with four additional 4 in guns and a 3 in anti-aircraft gun, which was upgraded to a 4 in weapon before the end of the war. Boadicea was at the Battle of Jutland but took no part in the fighting, being judged too light in armour and firepower to engage the enemy. She actually spotted the German fleet the night after the battle, but her report was not passed to Admiral John Jellicoe for fear of giving away the position of the British Fleet.

She was converted to mine laying duties in December 1917 and completed three missions in that role, laying 184 mines. She operated in Dartmouth harbour from January 1921, until being sold for scrap on 13 July 1926 to be broken up at Alloa, Rosyth.