The HMS Colossus battleship was a British dreadnought which was part of the Royal Navy Grand Fleet during World War I. She had been laid down in July 1909, at the shipyards of Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineerings, on the River Clyde. Having been launched in 1910, she was commissioned in 1911 after one-year period of sea trials. She was one of a class of two dreadnoughts; the other was HMS Hercules. They succeeded the Bellerophon class of three capital ships.
Along with her sister ship, HMS Colossus battleship had much thicker armor than other British dreadnoughts. It was improved up to 11-inch (279-mm) thick on the main belt and barbettes, thus returning to the HMS Dreadnought protection standard. This mighty vessel bristled with naval guns of different calibers; ten 305-mm (12-inch) mounted in five twin turrets; sixteen 102-mm (4-inch), and four 47-mm guns, plus three 457-mm (18-inch) torpedo tubes. Both ships were powered by four Parsons steam turbines arranged in two sets.
The HMS Colossus was part of the Grand Fleet, under Ad. John Jellicoe, when World War I broke out in August 1914. She took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. She was struck twice on the port side hull, but she was damaged only slightly. Then she would be assigned to patrolling the waters of the North Sea. After the war, she was deemed obsolete and used as target in 1923. She was scrapped in 1928.
Specifications
Type: dreadnought battleship
Length: 166.4 m (546 ft)
Beam: 25.9 m (85 ft).
Draft: 8.7 m (28.5 ft)
Displacement: 19,680 tons (empty)
Propulsion: 4 Parsons steam engines, with 4 shafts, and 18 boilers, generating 25,000 SHP.
Maximum Speed: 21 knots
Range: 6,620 nautical miles at 10 knots.
Crew: 813 sailors and officers.
Below, HMS Colossus battleship in June 1914, two months before the war broke out.
The British dreadnought in July 1912.
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