HMS Canopus Built at Portsmouth Dockyard
and laid down on the 4th January 1897, launched 21st June 1898 and
Completed December 1899, at a cost of £783,721. Only one of the class to serve in the Mediterranean
fleet instead of the China station until returning to the Channel
fleet in 1906 and in that year went into refit, to receive Fire control. Further
refitting was done while with the reserve at Portsmouth with reduced
crew in 1908 - 09, on returning to the fleet she served as the
parent ship for the 4th Division at the Nore and with the home fleet from
May 1912 and again refitted at Chatham dockyard In 1913 HMS Canopus was
stationed at Pembroke and at the outbreak of the great war joined the 8th
battle squadron of the Channel fleet, under Admiral Stoddart on the Cape
Verde Station and acted as guardship at St Vincent. and then to Abrolhos
Rocks a coaling Station in the South Atlantic. soon after she was sent to the
Falkland Islands When HMS Canopus arrived at Port Stanley in bad condition
and needing repairs. Admiral Cradock was concerned with the poor sailing speed
of the Canopus. The Canpus was separated from the main fleet and was
ordered to sail with two Colliers and were ordered to sail to the Island
of St. Felix where they were to await the fleet. But the fleet never
arrived as they were decimated by the German squadron. (see HMS Monmouth,
HMS good Hope). The canpus returned to Porrt Stanlery where she
became berthed in the mud at the entrance of the port. \under captain
Heathcoat Grant. With the German squadron expected to attack,
HMS Canpus guarded the entrance with her 12-inch guns, aswell as the outer
entrance was mined and also there were three batteries of twelve pounders.
HMS Canopus was the only ship at Port Stabnley whenVon Spee's ships
appeared. Canopus opened fire. this being the first shot in the battle of
the Falkland islands. Due to this fire and also seeing the tripod
masts of the battlecruisers Invincible and Inflexible, Von Spee withdrew
his ships. If he has attacked Port Stanley he certainly would have inflicted
major damage., After the destruction of Von Spees squadron. HMS
Canupus returned to Abrolhos Rocks. From February 1915 she was
sent to the Mediterranean to support the Dardanelle's expedition. while
there she had a narrow escape from a Torpedo from a German Submarine , the
same night her sister ship HMS Ocean\ was sunk. HMS Canapus was also damaged by Turkish Gun fire on the 28th April and 2nd May
1915. she involved in grounding off Gaba Tepe. In October 1915 she
transported troops to Salonika. She returned to Chatham Docks on
Tuesday 2nd May 1916. On returning back to Britain she became
the guard ship on the East Coast until 1918 when she was sent to
Devonport, where she became a accommodation ship until being sold to the
breakers in 1920 .
Displacement: 12,950 tons.
Length: 410 ft. Beam: 74 ft. Draught: 26.5
ft. Complement: 750. Armament: four 12 ins guns,
twelve 6 ins guns, ten 3 ins guns, six 3 pounder guns and two maxims with
four torpedo tubes.
The crew of HMS Canapus on commissioned
was
Officers: Executive
Officers 27, Civil Branch officers 16
and Warrant Officers 6.
All Ratings (Seamna Class)
356. Signalmen 11 Engine Room
Staff 142
Artisans 28 Sick
Berth Staff 3 Accounting Staff 5 Naval
Police, Cooks, Bandsman 41
Royal Marines Royal Marine
Artillery 50 Royal marines (Royal marine Light Infantry)
