HMS Empress of India - Battleship
Country : UK Launched : 7th May 1891
HMS Empress of India. Steel armoured pre dreadnought battleship built at Pembroke Dockyard as part of the Royal Sovereign class. Launched 7th May 1891 at Pembroke dockyard. She was initial to be called HMS Renown in1900 but changed before completion. She served in the Channel Squadron, HMS Empress of India was finally sunk as a target on 4th November 1913.
Displacement: 14,150 tons. Horse power: 13,000. Length: 380 ft. Beam: 75ft. Draught: 27' 6". Compliment: 712. Speed 18 knots.
Armament: four 67 ton in two armoured barbettes (13.5 inch). Ten 6-inch guns, 16 - 6 pounder QF, (this were distributed widely on two decks, with six mounted on main deck in casemates and the rest on upper deck with splinter shields. In the refits of 1902/1904 this upper deck guns had their splinter shields replaced with 5-inch KC armour casemates. ) Twelve 3 pounder guns and seven 18-inch torpedo tubes (5 aw and 2 submerged). Partial belt of 18 inch thick armour.
Sunk as target On 4 November 1913, Empress of India was used as a target ship in firing trials in Lyme Bay that were primarily intended to give officers and men an idea of the effect of live shell against a real target. A secondary objective was to look at the problems caused by several ships firing at the same target at the same time. The first ship to engage the stationary Empress of India was the light cruiser Liverpool, this was followed by two dreadnought battleships (Thunderer and Orio
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