HMS ''Argonaut'' was a ship of the of

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...

in the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. She was laid down in 1898, and commissioned for service on the China station in 1900. From 1906 she served in the Home Fleet, and during the First World War she served in the Atlantic. She was converted to hospital ship in 1915, and sold for breaking up in 1920.

Construction

''Argonaut'' was built by

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy ...

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...

, where she was laid down on 23 November 1896. She was launched on 24 January 1898, when she was christened by the Countess of Hopetoun. Whilst on the stocks under construction, fire broke out in the yard on February 8, 1897. The blaze spread quickly, engulfing the workshops and threatening not only the ''Argonaut'' but numerous vessels including the RMS ''Empress Queen''. However due to the vessels being separated from the buildings no damage was sustained.

Service history

She was commissioned at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

in April 1900 for service on the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

, where she was until 1904. During this time, the Commanding Officer, Captain George H Cherry RN, issued some 600 punishment warrants, gaining a reputation as a stern disciplinarian. As a consequence, the ship's officers ordered medals to be struck by

Gamages Gamages was a department store in Holborn, London. Trading between 1878 and 1972, it was particularly well known for its toy and hardware departments. History Gamages began life in 1878 in a rented watch repair shop and, after quickly becoming ...

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as reward and mementos of their service under such a captain: on the obverse it read "Argonaut China 1900-1904" and showed a foul anchor (for the

), a fleece (for

Argonaut The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', n ...

) and a dragon (for China); on the reverse are a cherry tree and a representation of the officers who survived the commission. An honorary "Cherry Medal" was presented to King George VI; many others were lost with ships sunk in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. From June to September 1906, ''Argonaut'' was refitted for special service and in October, joined the Home Fleet. She was paid off in February 1911 and recommissioned February 1912, joining the 3rd Fleet. The cruiser was paid off again in April 1914.Gardiner and Gray, p.11 During the

''Argonaut'' was part of the 9th Cruiser Squadron, operating in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. The squadron was stationed off Cape Finisterre from August 1914 to July 1915. While a part of this unit, ''Argonaut'' captured the German merchant ship ''Graecia''. In 1915 she was converted to a

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and in 1918, to an accommodation ship. She was sold to Ward of Milford Haven on 18 May 1920 and arrived there for breaking up on 4 September 1921.

Notes

References

* * Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921.'' Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. .
Diadem class at worldwar1.co.uk
* ''Fabulous Admirals'' compiled by Commander Geoffrey L Lowis (Putnam, 1957)

External links

* OldWeather.org transcription of ship's logbooks August 1914 to September 1915 {{DEFAULTSORT:Argonaut (1898) Diadem-class cruisers Ships built on the River Clyde 1898 ships World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom