HMS Sapphire was a third-class 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...

 of the Topaze class

Topaze class cruiser

The Topaze-class cruisers were a class of third-class protected cruisers. They were the last class of protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy...

 of the Royal Navy

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...

. She was launched in 1904, saw active service in World War I and was sold for scrap in 1921.

Construction

She was laid down in January 1904 at Palmer, Jarrow, launched on 17 March 1904 and completed in February 1905. She was powered by an inverted, triple expansion, 4 cylinder, surface condensing, coal-fired boiler.

World War I

Sapphire was commissioned on 2 July 1914 at Chatham Dock

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...

, Kent, before moving out into Kethole Reach, in the estuary of the Medway

River Medway

The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....

. On 16 July, "Sapphire" set sail from 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....

 Docks, Kent, for Spithead

Spithead

Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds, except those from the southeast...

, Hampshire, where she took part in the Royal Fleet Review on 20 July.

East Indies

On 8 January 1918, Sapphire arrived at Aden

Aden

Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...

where Commander W. F. Sells joined from HMS Minto and took over command.