HMS KING ALFRED was a 14,100-ton Drake-class armoured cruiser of the Royal Navy. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name, after Alfred the Great, historical king of Wessex. She was built by Vickers Limited at Barrow-in-Furness and launched on 28 October 1901.
HMS KING ALFRED time-line
Stranded at Shoeburyness, 5th May 1905.
1906 in the Far East
27th July 1910 - Sailed Torquay for Naval Review
27th July 1910 - Arrived back at Torquay after Naval Review
9th July 1912 - Spithead Review
War Service
6th Cruiser Squadron Grand Fleet.
October 1915 9th Cruiser Squadron Atlantic.
1917 North America and West Indies Station mainly as a convoy escort.
11 April 1918 Struck by a torpedo from UB 86 (Hans Trenk) at Loch Swilly and was beached and later repaired but never entered active service again. There was one casualty - WAREING, Nestor, Stoker 1c (RFR B 3647), SS 102404 (Dev). After several days in Belfast Lough with "Hands assisting salvage company" on the 23rd April 1918 HMS KING ALFRED was able to put to sea again for the crossing of the Irish sea to Liverpool.
HMS KING ALFRED survived the First World War to be sold for breaking up on 30 January 1920. She was finally broken up in the Netherlands by F Rijsdijk.
Class and type: Drake-class armoured cruiser
Name: HMS KING ALFRED
Builder: Vickers Limited, Barrow-in-Furness
Launched: 28 October 1901
Fate: Sold 30 January 1920 for breaking up
General characteristics
Displacement: 14,100 tons
Length: 500 ft (150 m)
Beam: 71 ft (22 m)
Armament: 2 x BL 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) Mk X guns in single turrets
16 x BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) Mk VII guns in casemates along hull
12 x 12 pounder guns
Delandre label
Sources: Wikipedia; http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/drake_class.htm; British Warships 1914-1919 by Dittmar & Colledge; http://www.worldnavalships.com/director ... ShipID=472; http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/7431.html; http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/armoured-cru ... drake.html; http://forum.oldweather.org/index.php?topic=1309.0;
Peter Crichton
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