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HMS Agamemnon (1906)
Encyclopedia
HMS Agamemnon was one of two pre-dreadnought battleships launched in 1906 and completed in 1908. She was the Royal Navy's
second-to-last pre-dreadnought battleship to be built, followed by her sister ship
, . She was assigned to the Channel Fleet
when World War I
began in 1914. The ship was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea
with Lord Nelson in early 1915 to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign
. She made a number of bombardments against Turkish fortifications and in support of British troops. Agamemnon remained in the Mediterranean after the conclusion of that campaign to prevent the German battlecruiser
and light cruiser
from breaking out into the Mediterranean. Agamemnon shot down the German Zeppelin
LZ85 during a bombing mission over Salonica
in 1916. She was converted to a radio-controlled target ship following her return to the United Kingdom
in March 1919 and began service in 1921. Agamemnon was replaced by at the end of 1926 and sold for scrap in January 1927, the last pre-dreadnought in service with the Royal Navy.
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HMS Agamemnon was ordered in 1904 and was the first warship built by the William Beardmore and Company's Dalmuir Naval Construction Works
. She was laid down on 15 May 1905 and launched on 23 June 1906 before the dockyards themselves were finished. Her completion was greatly delayed by labour troubles and by the diversion of the 12-inch (305 mm) guns intended for her to expedite completion of HMS Dreadnought
, and she was not finally completed until June 1908, six months before her sister Lord Nelson.
Agamemnon displaced 17683 long tons (17,967 t) at deep load as built, with a length of 443 in 6 in (135.18 m), a beam of 79 in 6 in (24.23 m) and a draft of 26 in 9 in (8.15 m). She was powered by two inverted vertical triple expansion four-cylinder steam engines, which developed a total of 16750 ihp and gave a maximum speed of 18 knots (9.8 m/s).
The ship was armed with four BL 12-inch Mk X guns
arranged in two twin gun turret
s, one each fore and aft. Her secondary armament consisted of ten BL 9.2-inch Mk XI guns
, in twin gun turrets on each corner of the superstructure, and a single gun turret between them, plus 24 QF 12-pounder 18 cwt guns
. She also mounted five submerged 17.7-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes for which 23 torpedoes were stowed aboard.
Agamemnon had an armour belt
at her waterline
that was 12 inches (305 mm) thick, as were the faces and sides of her gun turrets.
for service in the Nore Division of the Home Fleet. On 11 February 1911 she grazed an uncharted rock in the harbour at Ferrol, Spain and damaged her bottom. She was temporarily attached in September 1913 to the 4th Battle Squadron
.
After the First World War began in August 1914, Agamemnon was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron in the Channel Fleet
and was based at Portland. With other ships, she covered the safe transport of the British Expeditionary Force, under the command of Sir John French, to France. On 14 November 1914 she transferred to Sheerness
to guard the English coast against the possibility of a German invasion. She returned to Portland on 30 December 1914 and was employed in the defence of the southern ports of England and patrols of the English Channel
until February 1915.
_9.2-inch_gun_firing_on_sedd_el_bahr_4_march_1915.jpg)
In February 1915, Agamemnon was ordered to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign
. She departed Portland
on 9 February 1915, and joined the British Dardanelles Squadron at Mudros on 19 February 1915. That was the second day of the opening bombardment of the Ottoman Turkish
forts guarding the entrance to the Dardanelles and the ship immediately joined the attack. She also took part in the subsequent bombardment of the inner forts later in February. Agamemnon was hit by seven 240-millimetre (9.4-inch) shells in ten minutes on 25 February 1915 and was holed above the waterline, suffering three dead.
She supported the small amphibious landings of 4 March 1915 and participated in another bombardment on 6 March 1915. She came under heavy fire from Fort Hamidieh on 7 March 1915, taking eight hits from large-calibre shells; one of them, allegedly a 14-inch (356 mm) round, blew a large hole in her quarterdeck
and wrecked the wardroom
and the gunroom
. She also took several hits by light shells that day, and, although she suffered damage to her superstructure, her fighting and steaming capabilities were not seriously impaired.
The ship also participated in the main attack on the Dardanelles
forts on 18 March 1915. This time a 6-inch (152 mm) howitzer
battery opened fire on Agamemnon and hit her 12 times in 25 minutes; five of them hit her armour and did no damage, but the seven that hit outside her armour protection did considerable structural damage and temporarily put one of her 12-inch (305-mm) guns out of action.
On 25 April 1915, Agamemnon supported the main landings as part of the 5th Squadron, and after that she patrolled to protect Allied minesweeping
and netlaying vessels operating in the Dardanelles. In action against Ottoman field batteries, she took two hits between 28 April 1915 and 30 April 1915, and she provided fire support for Allied troops during a Turkish counterattack on 1 May 1915. Agamemnon bombarded Ottoman artillery
batteries on 6 May 1915 prior to the Second Battle of Krithia
.
Agamemnon was withdrawn to Malta
in May to undergo a refit and returned to the Dardanelles in June. On 2 December 1915, the ship joined the protected cruiser
and monitor
in bombarding the Kavak bridge, destroying several spans of it and interdicting Ottoman communications to the Gallipoli Peninsula.
at Salonika, and guard against any attempted breakout from the Dardanelles by the German Goeben and Breslau. Agamemnon spent the remainder of the war based at Salonika and Mudros, alternating between the two bases with her sister Lord Nelson; Agamemnon was based mostly at Mudros, Lord Nelson mostly at Salonika. While carrying out these duties, Agamemnon damaged the German
Zeppelin
LZ85 on 5 May 1917 at Salonika with a shell from a 12-pounder and forced it to crash-land.
Of all the responsibilities given the two ships, the most important was to guard the Eastern Mediterranean
against a breakout by Goeben. When Goeben and Breslau finally made their breakout attempt on 20 January 1918, Lord Nelson was away at Salonika and Agamemnon could not get steam up to depart Mudros in time to participate in the resulting Battle of Imbros; after both German ships struck mines, Breslau sank and Goeben returned to the Dardanelles before Agamemnon could arrive on the scene.
Agamemnon underwent a refit at Malta in 1918. On 30 October 1918 the Ottoman Empire
signed the Armistice of Mudros
on board Agamemnon while she was anchored at Lemnos
in the northern Aegean Sea
.
in November 1918 following the armistice. She returned to the United Kingdom
in March 1919, where she paid off at Chatham Dockyard and went into reserve on 20 March 1919.
In September 1918, the Commander-in-Chief
, Grand Fleet, Admiral
David Beatty
, called for a large target to be provided which would allow realistic gunnery practice for the battleships of the Grand Fleet, which had seen little action since the Battle of Jutland
in 1916. Tests against armour plate in 1919 demonstrated that firing 15-inch (381 mm) guns at any pre-dreadnought would sink her quickly, but the use of a pre-dreadnought for target practice and tests by guns of 6-inch calibre or smaller seemed practical. At first the pre-dreadnought was suggested for target duties, but ultimately Agamemnon became available and was selected instead.
She was modified at Chatham Dockyard
for use as a target ship between 6 December 1920 and 8 April 1921.Most sources say that Agamemnon served as a target ship from 1923 to 1926, and Burt, p. 298, says that she underwent conversion to a radio-controlled target ship from September 1922 to April 1923. However, Burt, p. 295, provides specifics about her conversion to a radio-controlled target ship in 1920–1921, as well as specifics about her use as a target in 1921. It is possible that the conversion took place in 1920–1921 and is often confused with a 1922–1923 refit. The ship was rewired for radio control and stripped; the 12-inch turrets remained aboard, but all of her guns and their equipment were removed, as were her torpedo equipment, flying deck, sea cabins, main derrick and boat equipment, lower conning tower, masts and yards, most of her crew amenities, and other unnecessary equipment. Unnecessary hatches, coamings, scuttles, and lifts were removed and plated over, and she was ballast
ed differently than she had been as a battleship. It was not intended to sink her, so she was assigned a crew of 153 to maintain and operate her when she was not under fire.
_as_target_ship_1924-1925.jpg)
Agamemnons first target service took place before her modifications were completed. On 19 March 1921, she was exposed to a cloud of poisonous gas to determine the effect of gas on a battleship. It was found that gas could penetrate the ship via her various openings, but the ship had not been sealed against gas before the trial and no accurate results applicable to a commissioned battleship could be obtained. On 21 September, she was subjected to machine-gun fire by strafing aircraft. These trials showed that such strafing could harass a battleship, but could not impair her fighting or steaming capabilities, and helped to determine protection for bridge personnel.
Agamemnon also was used to test the vulnerability of battleships to 6-inch, 5.5-inch (140 mm), and 4.7-inch (120 mm) rounds fired at her by ships such as the battlecruisers and while she maneuvered under radio control. These tests showed that ships protected as well as Agamemnon, such as the later dreadnoughts, would suffer damage to their upper works if struck by such shells, but would not have their steaming or fighting capability seriously impaired even by numerous smaller-caliber hits.
Agamemnon was relieved as target ship by the dreadnought in December 1926. By then the last British pre-dreadnought battleship in existence, she was sold to J Cashmore
of Newport
, South Wales on 24 January 1927 for scrap, and departed Portsmouth Dockyard on 1 March 1927 to be broken up at Newport.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
second-to-last pre-dreadnought battleship to be built, followed by her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
, . She was assigned to the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
when World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began in 1914. The ship was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
with Lord Nelson in early 1915 to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign
Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign
The naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War were mainly carried out by the Royal Navy with substantial support from the French and minor contributions from Russia and Australia. The Dardanelles Campaign began as a purely naval operation...
. She made a number of bombardments against Turkish fortifications and in support of British troops. Agamemnon remained in the Mediterranean after the conclusion of that campaign to prevent the German battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
and light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
from breaking out into the Mediterranean. Agamemnon shot down the German Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
LZ85 during a bombing mission over Salonica
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
in 1916. She was converted to a radio-controlled target ship following her return to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in March 1919 and began service in 1921. Agamemnon was replaced by at the end of 1926 and sold for scrap in January 1927, the last pre-dreadnought in service with the Royal Navy.
Construction and description
William Beardmore and Company
William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people...
. She was laid down on 15 May 1905 and launched on 23 June 1906 before the dockyards themselves were finished. Her completion was greatly delayed by labour troubles and by the diversion of the 12-inch (305 mm) guns intended for her to expedite completion of HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1906)
HMS Dreadnought was a battleship of the British Royal Navy that revolutionised naval power. Her entry into service in 1906 represented such a marked advance in naval technology that her name came to be associated with an entire generation of battleships, the "dreadnoughts", as well as the class of...
, and she was not finally completed until June 1908, six months before her sister Lord Nelson.
Agamemnon displaced 17683 long tons (17,967 t) at deep load as built, with a length of 443 in 6 in (135.18 m), a beam of 79 in 6 in (24.23 m) and a draft of 26 in 9 in (8.15 m). She was powered by two inverted vertical triple expansion four-cylinder steam engines, which developed a total of 16750 ihp and gave a maximum speed of 18 knots (9.8 m/s).
The ship was armed with four BL 12-inch Mk X guns
BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun
The BL 12 inch Gun Mark X was a British 45-calibres naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on battleships and battlecruisers from 1906...
arranged in two twin gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s, one each fore and aft. Her secondary armament consisted of ten BL 9.2-inch Mk XI guns
BL 9.2 inch Mk XI naval gun
The BL 9.2 inch gun Mark XI was a British 50 calibre high-velocity naval gun which was mounted as primary armament on armoured cruisers and secondary armament on pre-dreadnought battleships.-History:...
, in twin gun turrets on each corner of the superstructure, and a single gun turret between them, plus 24 QF 12-pounder 18 cwt guns
QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 18 cwt gun was a 3 inch high-velocity naval gun used to equip larger British warships such as battleships for defence against torpedo boats...
. She also mounted five submerged 17.7-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes for which 23 torpedoes were stowed aboard.
Agamemnon had an armour belt
Belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships....
at her waterline
Waterline
The term "waterline" generally refers to the line where the hull of a ship meets the water surface. It is also the name of a special marking, also known as the national Load Line or Plimsoll Line, to be positioned amidships, that indicates the draft of the ship and the legal limit to which a ship...
that was 12 inches (305 mm) thick, as were the faces and sides of her gun turrets.
Service
HMS Agamemnon commissioned on 25 June 1908 at Chatham DockyardChatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
for service in the Nore Division of the Home Fleet. On 11 February 1911 she grazed an uncharted rock in the harbour at Ferrol, Spain and damaged her bottom. She was temporarily attached in September 1913 to the 4th Battle Squadron
4th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British Royal Navy 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet...
.
After the First World War began in August 1914, Agamemnon was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron in the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
and was based at Portland. With other ships, she covered the safe transport of the British Expeditionary Force, under the command of Sir John French, to France. On 14 November 1914 she transferred to Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
to guard the English coast against the possibility of a German invasion. She returned to Portland on 30 December 1914 and was employed in the defence of the southern ports of England and patrols of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
until February 1915.
Dardanelles campaign, 1915–1916
Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign
The naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War were mainly carried out by the Royal Navy with substantial support from the French and minor contributions from Russia and Australia. The Dardanelles Campaign began as a purely naval operation...
. She departed Portland
Portland Harbour
Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. It is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. Grid reference: .-History:...
on 9 February 1915, and joined the British Dardanelles Squadron at Mudros on 19 February 1915. That was the second day of the opening bombardment of the Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
forts guarding the entrance to the Dardanelles and the ship immediately joined the attack. She also took part in the subsequent bombardment of the inner forts later in February. Agamemnon was hit by seven 240-millimetre (9.4-inch) shells in ten minutes on 25 February 1915 and was holed above the waterline, suffering three dead.
She supported the small amphibious landings of 4 March 1915 and participated in another bombardment on 6 March 1915. She came under heavy fire from Fort Hamidieh on 7 March 1915, taking eight hits from large-calibre shells; one of them, allegedly a 14-inch (356 mm) round, blew a large hole in her quarterdeck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
and wrecked the wardroom
Wardroom
The wardroom is the mess-cabin of naval commissioned officers above the rank of Midshipman. The term the wardroom is also used to refer to those individuals with the right to occupy that wardroom, meaning "the officers of the wardroom"....
and the gunroom
Gunroom
A gunroom is the junior officers' mess on a naval vessel. It was occupied by the officers below the rank of lieutenant, but who are not warrant officers of the class of the boatswain, gunner or carpenter. In the wooden sailing ships it was on the lower deck, and was originally the quarters of the...
. She also took several hits by light shells that day, and, although she suffered damage to her superstructure, her fighting and steaming capabilities were not seriously impaired.
The ship also participated in the main attack on the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
forts on 18 March 1915. This time a 6-inch (152 mm) howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
battery opened fire on Agamemnon and hit her 12 times in 25 minutes; five of them hit her armour and did no damage, but the seven that hit outside her armour protection did considerable structural damage and temporarily put one of her 12-inch (305-mm) guns out of action.
On 25 April 1915, Agamemnon supported the main landings as part of the 5th Squadron, and after that she patrolled to protect Allied minesweeping
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
and netlaying vessels operating in the Dardanelles. In action against Ottoman field batteries, she took two hits between 28 April 1915 and 30 April 1915, and she provided fire support for Allied troops during a Turkish counterattack on 1 May 1915. Agamemnon bombarded Ottoman artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
batteries on 6 May 1915 prior to the Second Battle of Krithia
Second Battle of Krithia
The Second Battle of Krithia continued the Allies' attempts to advance on the Helles battlefield during the Battle of Gallipoli of the First World War. The village of Krithia and neighbouring hill of Achi Baba had to be captured in order for the British to advance up the Gallipoli peninsula to the...
.
Agamemnon was withdrawn to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in May to undergo a refit and returned to the Dardanelles in June. On 2 December 1915, the ship joined the protected cruiser
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
and monitor
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
in bombarding the Kavak bridge, destroying several spans of it and interdicting Ottoman communications to the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Mediterranean operations, 1916–1918
With the end of the Dardanelles Campaign in January 1916, British naval forces in the area were reorganized, and Agamemnon became part of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron, which was re-designated the Aegean Squadron in August 1917. Under both names, the squadron was dispersed throughout the area to protect Allied-held islands, support the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
at Salonika, and guard against any attempted breakout from the Dardanelles by the German Goeben and Breslau. Agamemnon spent the remainder of the war based at Salonika and Mudros, alternating between the two bases with her sister Lord Nelson; Agamemnon was based mostly at Mudros, Lord Nelson mostly at Salonika. While carrying out these duties, Agamemnon damaged the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
LZ85 on 5 May 1917 at Salonika with a shell from a 12-pounder and forced it to crash-land.
Of all the responsibilities given the two ships, the most important was to guard the Eastern Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
against a breakout by Goeben. When Goeben and Breslau finally made their breakout attempt on 20 January 1918, Lord Nelson was away at Salonika and Agamemnon could not get steam up to depart Mudros in time to participate in the resulting Battle of Imbros; after both German ships struck mines, Breslau sank and Goeben returned to the Dardanelles before Agamemnon could arrive on the scene.
Agamemnon underwent a refit at Malta in 1918. On 30 October 1918 the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
signed the Armistice of Mudros
Armistice of Mudros
The Armistice of Moudros , concluded on 30 October 1918, ended the hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I...
on board Agamemnon while she was anchored at Lemnos
Lemnos
Lemnos is an island of Greece in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos peripheral unit, which is part of the North Aegean Periphery. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is Myrina...
in the northern Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
.
Post-World War I service
Agamemnon was part of the British squadron that went to ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in November 1918 following the armistice. She returned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in March 1919, where she paid off at Chatham Dockyard and went into reserve on 20 March 1919.
In September 1918, the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
, Grand Fleet, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
David Beatty
Earl Beatty
Earl Beatty is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the prominent naval commander Admiral of the Fleet David Beatty. He was created Baron Beatty, of the North Sea and of Brooksby in the County of Leicester, and Viscount Borodale, of Wexford in the County of...
, called for a large target to be provided which would allow realistic gunnery practice for the battleships of the Grand Fleet, which had seen little action since the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
in 1916. Tests against armour plate in 1919 demonstrated that firing 15-inch (381 mm) guns at any pre-dreadnought would sink her quickly, but the use of a pre-dreadnought for target practice and tests by guns of 6-inch calibre or smaller seemed practical. At first the pre-dreadnought was suggested for target duties, but ultimately Agamemnon became available and was selected instead.
She was modified at Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
for use as a target ship between 6 December 1920 and 8 April 1921.Most sources say that Agamemnon served as a target ship from 1923 to 1926, and Burt, p. 298, says that she underwent conversion to a radio-controlled target ship from September 1922 to April 1923. However, Burt, p. 295, provides specifics about her conversion to a radio-controlled target ship in 1920–1921, as well as specifics about her use as a target in 1921. It is possible that the conversion took place in 1920–1921 and is often confused with a 1922–1923 refit. The ship was rewired for radio control and stripped; the 12-inch turrets remained aboard, but all of her guns and their equipment were removed, as were her torpedo equipment, flying deck, sea cabins, main derrick and boat equipment, lower conning tower, masts and yards, most of her crew amenities, and other unnecessary equipment. Unnecessary hatches, coamings, scuttles, and lifts were removed and plated over, and she was ballast
Ballast tank
A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...
ed differently than she had been as a battleship. It was not intended to sink her, so she was assigned a crew of 153 to maintain and operate her when she was not under fire.
Agamemnon also was used to test the vulnerability of battleships to 6-inch, 5.5-inch (140 mm), and 4.7-inch (120 mm) rounds fired at her by ships such as the battlecruisers and while she maneuvered under radio control. These tests showed that ships protected as well as Agamemnon, such as the later dreadnoughts, would suffer damage to their upper works if struck by such shells, but would not have their steaming or fighting capability seriously impaired even by numerous smaller-caliber hits.
Agamemnon was relieved as target ship by the dreadnought in December 1926. By then the last British pre-dreadnought battleship in existence, she was sold to J Cashmore
John Cashmore Ltd
John Cashmore Ltd was a company based at Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales...
of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, South Wales on 24 January 1927 for scrap, and departed Portsmouth Dockyard on 1 March 1927 to be broken up at Newport.