Editing Formidable-class battleship (section)

==Service history==
[[File:HMS Irresistible abandoned 18 March 1915.jpg|thumb|''Irresistible'' listing and sinking in the Dardanelles, 18 March 1915. Photograph taken from the battleship {{HMS|Lord Nelson|1906|2}}]]

The ships of the ''Formidable'' class had uneventful peacetime careers. All three ships of the class served with the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] as their first station; in 1908, ''Formidable'' and ''Irresistible'' were recalled to the [[Channel Fleet]], though the former remained there for just a year, transferring to the [[Home Fleet]] and then shortly thereafter to the [[Atlantic Fleet (United Kingdom)|Atlantic Fleet]] in 1909. That year, ''Implacable'' joined her [[sister ship]] in the Atlantic Fleet. Between 1911 and 1912, all three ships were assigned to the [[5th Battle Squadron]] of the Home fleet, where they remained for the rest of their peacetime careers. Throughout their peacetime careers, the ships were repeatedly overhauled and had minor modifications carried out, including alterations to their light armament, addition of searchlights, and installation of improved fire-control and wireless systems.{{sfn|Burt|pp=197–205}}

All three ships were mobilized as part of the 5th Battle Squadron at Britain's entry into the [[First World War]] in August 1914. They were initially based in the [[English Channel]], and they helped to escort the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] and later the Portsmouth Marine Battalion across the Channel in August. In October ''Implacable'' was temporarily detached to guard against a rumoured German cruiser attack.{{sfn|Burt|pp=201–205}}{{sfn|Corbett 1920|pp=76, 98, 227–229, 259–262}} Shortly after midnight on 1 January 1915, ''Formidable'' was torpedoed and sunk by the German [[U-boat]] {{SMU|U-24||2}} off [[Portland Bill]] while on patrol in the Channel. Most of the ship's crew—35&nbsp;officers and 512&nbsp;men—were killed in the sinking.{{sfn|Burt|p=203}}{{sfn|Corbett 1921|pp=57–59}} The following month, ''Irresistible'' was sent to the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea]] to join the [[Dardanelles Campaign]] against the [[Ottoman Empire]]. She took part in repeated, failed attacks on the Ottoman defences guarding the entrance to the [[Dardanelles]] over the course of February and March. During a major Anglo-French attack on the coastal fortifications on 18 March, ''Irresistible'' struck a [[naval mine]] and sank, though most of her crew was evacuated; around 150&nbsp;men were killed in her final battle.{{sfn|Corbett 1921|pp=142–145, 157–168, 193–195, 205–206, 213–222}}

''Implacable'' was ordered to join the Dardanelles campaign in March 1915, and she arrived shortly after the loss of ''Irresistible''. She supported the [[Landing at Cape Helles|landings at Cape Helles]] and [[Landing at Anzac Cove|at Anzac Cove]], the beginning of the land portion of the [[Gallipoli Campaign]]. On the day of the attack, 25 April, the ship steamed off [[X Beach]] at Cape Helles, bombarding Ottoman defences as men went ashore. In recognition of the critical support she had provided the troops as they attacked Ottoman positions, they named the landing site "Implacable Beach". She continued to support the ground forces into May, including during the [[First Battle of Krithia|First]] and [[Second Battle of Krithia|Second Battles of Krithia]].{{sfn|Corbett 1921|pp=208, 227, 310–318, 326–327, 354, 362, 372}} In May, she was reassigned to the 2nd Detached Squadron, which was tasked with supporting the Italian ''[[Regia Marina]]'' (Royal Navy) in the [[Adriatic Sea]], where it contained the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]]. In November, she was again transferred, this time to the 3rd Detached Squadron, based in [[Salonika]], Greece. The ship was recalled to Britain in July 1917, later being converted into a [[depot ship]] for the [[Northern Patrol]]. ''Implacable'' was ultimately sold for [[scrap]] in 1921 and was [[broken up]] the following year in Germany.{{sfn|Burt|pp=203–204}}