HMS Camperdown (1885)

HMS Camperdown was an Admiral-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.

Design
She was a full sister to HMS Anson (1886), and was an improved version of the earlier HMS Howe (1885) and HMS Rodney (1884). In comparison to these earlier ships, she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a lengthened armour belt. The extra armour carried increased the displacement by 350 LT; in order not to increase the draught, she was lengthened by 5 ft and was given 6 in more beam.

The 13.5 in guns were carried in two pairs, in barbettes positioned on the centre-line at either end of the superstructure. They were carried at a height of 20 ft above the full-load water-line, and possessed firing arcs of some 270°. Each shell weighed 1250 lb, and would penetrate 27 in of iron at a range of 1000 yd.

History


She was commissioned at Portsmouth on 18 July 1889, and initially went into reserve. In December 1889 she was posted to the Mediterranean Fleet as flagship, where she remained until being posted as flagship of the Channel Fleet in May 1890. She was paid off in May 1892 into Fleet reserve, recommissioning in July 1892 into the Mediterranean Fleet. On 22 June 1893, she collided with and sank the battleship HMS Victoria (1887) with 358 deaths, including Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon. In September 1899, she went into Category B reserve, and in May 1900 into Dockyard reserve. In July 1900 she commissioned as a coast guard ship at Lough Swilly until May 1903. She was in reserve at Chatham until 1908, and was employed at Harwich as a berthing ship for submarines until she was sold in 1911.

Commanding officers

 * Captain A. C. Corry - in March 1901
 * Commander H. N. Rolfe - 1901