HMS ''Warspite'' was an first-class

armoured cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

, launched on 29 January 1884 and commissioned in 1886.

Construction

Morris states that ''Warspite'' had her sailing rig removed while building. The illustration of her with masts therefore shows her on trials, or is conjectural.

Service history

''Warspite'' was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

on the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of A ...

between 1890 and 1893, then a port

guard ship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usual ...

at Queenstown until 1896. From 1896 until 1902 she again served as the flagship of the Pacific Station. Captain Thomas Philip Walker was appointed in command in March 1899, when Rear-Admiral Henry Palliser was Commander-in-Chief of the station. In June 1899 she became the flagship of Rear-Admiral

Lewis Beaumont Admiral Sir Lewis Anthony Beaumont, (19 May 1847 – 20 June 1922) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Naval career Beaumont joined the Royal Navy as a boy in 1860 and was engaged in operations in Malaya by ...

, who kept Captain Walker as flag captain. The ship visited

Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than ...

in March 1900. From late 1900 she was the flagship of Rear-Admiral

Andrew Bickford Admiral Andrew Kennedy Bickford CMG (16 July 1844 – 9 October 1927) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station. Early life Bickford was educated at the South Devon Collegiate School and Stubbington Hou ...

, with Captain

Colin Richard Keppel Admiral Sir Colin Richard Keppel (3 December 1862 – 6 July 1947) was a British sailor and Extra Equerry to four kings. Background He was the son of Admiral Sir Henry Keppel, younger son of William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle, and his sec ...

as flag captain in command of the ship. In late March 1902, Rear-Admiral Bickford transferred his flag to the newly arrived , and was joined by Captain Keppel. ''Warspite'' returned home under the command of Captain John Locke Marx (who had arrived on ''Grafton)'', stopping at

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

and

São Vicente, Cape Verde São Vicente (Portuguese for " Saint Vincent") is one of the Barlavento Islands, the northern group within the Cape Verde archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the West African coast. It is located between the islands of Santo Antão and Sant ...

on the way. She arrived at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

on 28 May 1902, and paid off 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 ...

on 1 July, when she was placed in the D Division of the Dockyard reserve and prepared for emergency service. Warspite 2

She was sold on 4 April 1904 to

Thos. W. Ward Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, steel, engineering and cement business, which began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture of machinery. I ...

of Preston. She arrived on the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

on 3 October 1905 and then travelled on to Preston for breaking up.

Notes

References

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External links

Battleship Cruisers - HMS Warspite and HMS Imperieuse
Imperieuse-class cruisers Ships built in Chatham 1884 ships Victorian-era cruisers of the United Kingdom {{UK-mil-ship-stub