HMS Anson (1886)

HMS Anson was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy, and was the last member of the Admiral-class to be laid down.

In common with HMS Rodney (1884), HMS Howe (1885), HMS Camperdown (1885) and HMS Benbow (1885), she was a progressive development of the design of HMS Collingwood (1882) and was an exact sister ship of Camperdown.

Guns
She was armed with 13.5 in guns, which was a significant advance on earlier ships; this gun was chosen because it was of virtually the same weight and power as the guns which the French naval architects were shipping in their Formidable and Amiral Baudin. It was a much more powerful weapon than the 12 in gun mounted in Collingwood and in some earlier ships, and would in theory penetrate the thickest armour carried on any warship then afloat. Tests indicated that a charge of 630 lb of gunpowder or 187 lb of cordite would fire a 1250 lb shell through an iron plate 27 in thick at a range of 1000 yd. Because of delays in the manufacture of these weapons the completion of Anson, and of all of her sisters, was vastly prolonged. Delays spanned six or seven years between laying-down and commissioning.

Armour
In Anson and Camperdown, the thickness of the armour plate on the barbettes was increased, as compared to Howe and Rodney, as was the length of the armour belt. To accommodate these changes without an increase in displacement, these later two ships were lengthened by 5 ft, and had their beam increased by 6 in over their earlier sisters.

History
Anson arrived at Portsmouth from the builder's yard in Pembroke in March 1887, and lay at anchor for two years, slowly completing for sea while waiting for her guns to be manufactured. She finally commissioned on 28 May 1889 as flagship of the Rear-Admiral, Channel Fleet. On 17 March 1891 passenger steamer SS Utopia accidentally collided with stationary Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar. 562 of Utopia's passengers and crew and two rescuers from HMS Immortalité were killed in the accident. Anson did not report any injuries or damage.

In September 1893, Anson was transferred to the Mediterranean, where she served until January 1900, with a refit at Malta in 1896. She returned home and paid off at Devonport in January 1901, re-commissioning for the newly-formed Home Fleet in March of the same year. In May 1904, Anson finally paid off into reserve, where she remained until sold on 13 July 1909.