HMS Colossus of the
British
Royal Navy was the nameship of her class of dreadnought battleships.
She was launched 9 April 1910 and commissioned in 1911. Although
very similar to
Neptune
she was not part of Neptune's class as
Colossus and her
sister-ship,
Hercules,
had greater armour. She joined the
2nd Battle Squadron of
the
Home Fleet.
When the
First World War began in
August 1914
Colossus became the
flagship of the
1st Battle Squadron.
While
commanded by Captain Dudley Pound she
fought with distinction at the Battle of Jutland
in 1916 while acting as the flagship of
Rear-Admiral Ernest Gaunt.
During the battle,
Colossus took two hits which caused
minor damage and five casualties. When the war came to a close,
Colossus became a
training
ship until 1920 when, under the terms of the
Washington Naval Treaty, she was
stricken and eventually broken up in 1928. Her sister-ship was
scrapped in 1921.
References
- British Warships 1914-1919 by Dittmar, F.J. and
Colledge, J.J. Ian Allan, London; (1972), ISBN 0-7110-0380-7
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