Editing Royal Sovereign-class battleship

{{short description|Class of pre-dreadnoughts of the Royal Navy}}
{{About|the ''Royal Sovereign''-class [[pre-dreadnought]] [[battleship]]s|the [[dreadnought]] battleship class sometimes also called the ''Royal Sovereign'' class which was built just before and during World War I|Revenge-class battleship|the Royal Caribbean ships|Sovereign-class cruise ship}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Royal Sovereign (1891 ship).jpg
|Ship caption=The high-[[freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] {{HMS|Royal Sovereign|1891|2}} underway in a moderate sea
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Royal Sovereign'' class
|Builders=
*[[Palmers Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Palmers]] (2)
*[[Pembroke Dockyard]] (2)
*[[J & G Thomson]] (1)
*[[Cammell Laird|Laird Brothers]] (1)
*[[Portsmouth Dockyard]] (1)
*[[Chatham Dockyard]] (1)
|Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before={{sclass|Trafalgar|battleship|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Centurion|battleship|4}}
|Subclasses={{ship|HMS|Hood|1891|2}}
|Built range=1889–1894
|In service range=
|In commission range=1892–1915
|Total ships completed=8
|Total ships scrapped=6
|Total ships retired=2
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Pre-dreadnought battleship]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|14150|LT|t|lk=on}} (normal)
|Ship length=*{{convert|380|ft|abbr=on|1}} ([[Length between perpendiculars|pp]])
|Ship beam={{convert|75|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draught={{convert|27|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|11000|ihp|abbr=on|lk=in}}
* 8 [[Scotch marine boiler|cylindrical boilers]]
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|Triple-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|17.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|4720|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} @ {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=670–692
|Ship armament=*2 × twin [[BL 13.5-inch Mk I – IV naval gun|{{convert|13.5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} guns]]
* 10 × single [[QF 6-inch naval gun|{{cvt|6|in|mm|0}} guns]]
* 10 × single 6&nbsp;pdr {{convert|57|mm|in|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns
* 12 × single [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|3&nbsp;pdr {{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns]]
* 7 × [[British 18-inch torpedo|18&nbsp;in (450&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
| Ship armour =* [[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|14|-|18|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkheads]]: {{convert|14|-|16|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|11|-|17|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Casemate#Naval|Casemates]]: {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|12|-|14|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|2.5|-|3|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|11|-|17|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Royal Sovereign'' class''' was a group of eight [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the 1890s. The ships spent their careers in the [[Mediterranean Fleet|Mediterranean]], [[Home Fleet|Home]] and [[Channel Fleet]]s, sometimes as [[flagship]]s, although several were mobilised for service with the [[Flying Squadron (1896)|Flying Squadron]] in 1896 when tensions with the [[German Empire]] were high following the [[Jameson Raid]] in [[South Africa]]. Three ships were assigned to the [[International Squadron (Crete intervention, 1897–1898)|International Squadron]] formed when Greek Christians rebelled against the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s rule in [[Crete]] in 1897–1898.

By about 1905–1907, they were considered obsolete and were reduced to [[Reserve fleet|reserve]]. The ships began to be sold off for [[ship breaking|scrap]] beginning in 1911, although {{ship|HMS|Empress of India|1891|2}} was sunk as a [[target ship]] during gunnery trials in 1913. {{ship|HMS|Hood|1891|2}} was fitted with the first [[anti-torpedo bulge]]s to evaluate underwater protection schemes in 1911 before being [[scuttled]] as a [[blockship]] a few months after the start of the [[First World War]] in August 1914. Only {{ship|HMS|Revenge|1892|2}} survived to see active service in the war, during which she bombarded the [[Belgium|Belgian]] coastline. Renamed ''Redoubtable'' in 1915, she was [[hulk (ship type)|hulked]] later that year as an [[accommodation ship]] until she was sold for scrap after the war.

==Background==
[[File:Royal Sovereign class diagrams Brasseys 1906.jpg|thumb|left|Right elevation, deck plan and hull section as depicted in ''[[Brassey's Naval Annual]]'' 1906]]
By the late 1880s pressure on the government to modernise and expand the Royal Navy was building. A war scare with Russia in 1885 during the [[Panjdeh Incident]], the failure of the blockading fleet to contain the raiding ships in port during the 1888 fleet manoeuvres and more realistic evaluations of the numbers of ships required to perform the tasks required in a war against France, coupled with exposés by influential journalists like [[William Thomas Stead|W. T. Stead]], revealed serious weaknesses in the Navy.<ref>Friedman 2018, pp. 220–223, 226–227</ref> The Government responded with the [[Naval Defence Act 1889]], which provided [[pound sterling|£]]21.5 million for a vast expansion programme of which the eight ships of the ''Royal Sovereign'' class were the centrepiece. The Act also formalised the [[two-power standard]], whereby the Royal Navy sought to be as large as the next two major naval powers combined.<ref>Brown, pp. 115–17</ref>

Preliminary work on what would become the ''Royal Sovereign''s began in 1888 and the [[Board of Admiralty]] directed the [[Director of Naval Construction]], [[William Henry White|Sir William White]], to design an improved and enlarged version of the {{sclass|Trafalgar|ironclad|4}}. These ships were equipped with [[gun turret]]s, the weight of which dictated that they be low-[[freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] ships to reduce their [[Ship stability|topweight]]. White, however, argued strenuously for a high-freeboard design to improve the new ships' ability to fight and steam in heavy weather. This meant that the armament could only be mounted in lighter, less-heavily armoured [[barbette]]s. After much discussion, the board came around to White's view and the design resembled an enlarged version of the earlier {{sclass2|Admiral|ironclad|4}}, although one of the eight ships, {{HMS|Hood|1891|2}}, was built as a low-freeboard turret ship in deference to the [[First Sea Lord]], Admiral Sir [[Arthur Hood, 1st Baron Hood of Avalon|Arthur Hood]], who had strongly argued for the type.<ref>Brown, pp. 119–22; Burt, pp. 68–70; Roberts, p. 116</ref> The ''Royal Sovereign''s are often considered the first of the type of battleship which would become known after the commissioning of the revolutionary {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|2}} in 1906 as [[pre-dreadnought]]s.<ref name=ck2>Chesneau & Koleśnik, p. 32</ref>

==Design and description==
The ships [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|14150|LT|t|lk=on}} at normal load and {{convert|15580|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. They had a [[length between perpendiculars]] of {{convert|380|ft|m|1}} and an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|410|ft|6|in|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|75|ft|m|1}}, and a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|27|ft|6|in|m|1}}.<ref name=ck2/>

Originally, the class was intended to be equipped with a new wire wound, 40 caliber long 12 inch gun. However the ship was instead fitted with 13.5 inch guns, similar to the ones found on the "Admirals" series of ships, as the board required 4 of the heaviest guns available, on the ship.<ref>RA Burt British Battleships 1889–1904</ref>

Those ships fitted with barbettes had a freeboard of {{convert|19|ft|6|in|m|1}} (about 90% of modern guidelines), provided by the addition of a complete extra [[deck (ship)|deck]], which improved their performance in heavy seas.<ref>Brown, p. 124</ref> To reduce their topweight, White gave them a significant amount of [[tumblehome]].<ref name=p8/> ''Hood''{{'}}s freeboard, however, was only {{convert|11|ft|3|in|m|1}}, which meant that she was very wet and lost speed rapidly as wave height increased. She was the last British battleship with the heavy, old-style, turrets and all future British battleships were of a high-freeboard design and had their main armament in barbettes, although the adoption of armoured, rotating gunhouses over the barbettes gradually led to them being called "turrets" as well.<ref>Brown, p. 124; Burt, p. 101</ref>

[[File:HMS Hood (1891) LOC 16922u.jpg|thumb|left|{{center|The low-freeboard ''Hood'' equipped with turrets}}]]
Another issue with ''Hood'' was that the [[Instantaneous stability|stability]] of a ship is largely due to freeboard at high rolling angles, so she had to be given a larger [[metacentric height]] (the vertical distance between the metacentre and the centre of gravity below it) of around {{convert|4.1|ft|m|1}} instead of the {{convert|3.6|ft|m|1}} of the rest of the ''Royal Sovereign''s to make her roll less in rough seas. This had the effect of making her roll period shorter by around 7% compared to her [[sister ship]], which in turn made her gunnery less accurate. White had purposely selected a high metacentric height to minimise rolling and he did not think that [[bilge keel]]s were needed. When {{ship|HMS|Resolution|1892|2}} experienced heavy rolling during a heavy storm in December 1893, which earned the class the nickname ''Rolling Ressies'', her sister, {{ship|HMS|Repulse|1892|2}}, was fitted with bilge keels while still [[fitting out]] and conclusively demonstrated their effectiveness during comparative trials.<ref>Brown, pp. 124–25; Burt, pp. 72–73, 75</ref>

[[File:HMS Empress of India LOC ggbain 16824.jpg|thumb|left|{{center|The barbette-equipped ''Empress of India''}}]]
The ''Royal Sovereign''s were powered by a pair of three-cylinder, vertical [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s, each driving one [[propeller shaft]], using steam provided by eight [[Scotch marine boiler|cylindrical boilers]] that operated at a pressure of {{convert|155|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}.<ref>Parkes, p. 355</ref> The engines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|9000|ihp|lk=in}} at normal [[Chimney draught|draught]] and a speed of {{convert|16|kn|lk=in}}; using [[Draft (boiler)|forced draught]], they were expected to produce {{convert|11000|ihp|abbr=on}} and a maximum speed of {{convert|17.5|kn}}. The ''Royal Sovereign''-class ships comfortably exceeded these speeds; {{ship|HMS|Royal Sovereign|1891|2}} herself reached {{convert|16.43|kn}} from {{convert|9661|ihp|abbr=on}} with natural draught. Trials at forced draught, however, damaged her boilers, although the ship attained {{convert|18|kn}} from {{convert|13360|ihp|abbr=on}}. As a result, the Navy decided not to push the boilers of the ''Royal Sovereign'' class past 11,000 ihp to prevent similar damage. The ships carried a maximum of {{convert|1420|LT|t|0}} of coal, which gave them a range of {{convert|4720|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}.<ref>Burt, pp. 73, 83–84</ref>

===Armament and armour===
[[File:HMS Empress of India Stern Drydock Clip Guns.jpg|thumb|Close up of the aft barbette aboard ''Empress of India'']]
A new and more powerful {{convert|12|in|mm|0|adj=on}} gun was preferred by the Board, but it was still under development, so the 32-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[BL 13.5-inch Mk I – IV naval gun|BL {{convert|13.5|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}}]] {{convert|67|LT|adj=on}} gun used in the preceding classes was chosen.<ref name=b35/> The four guns were mounted in two twin-gun, pear-shaped barbettes or circular turrets, one forward and one aft of the [[superstructure]]. The barbettes were open, without hoods or [[gun shield]]s, and the guns were fully exposed. The ammunition hoists were in the apex of the barbette and the guns had to return to the fore-and-aft position to be reloaded.<ref name=p8>Parkes, p. 358</ref> The {{convert|1250|lb|kg|adj=on}} shells fired by these guns were credited with the ability to penetrate {{convert|28|in|mm|0}} of [[wrought iron]] at {{convert|1000|yd|m}}, using a charge of {{convert|630|lb|kg}} of [[Brown powder|smokeless brown cocoa (SBC)]].<ref name=p6>Parkes, pp. 316–17</ref> At maximum elevation of +13.5°, the guns had a range of around {{convert|11950|yd|m}} with SBC; later a charge of {{convert|187|lb|kg}} of [[cordite]] was substituted for the SBC which extended the range to about {{convert|12620|yd|m}}.<ref>Campbell 1981, p. 96</ref> The ships carried 80 [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]] for each gun.<ref name=b35>Burt, pp. 73, 75</ref>

The [[secondary armament]] of ten [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|quick-firing (QF)]] [[QF 6-inch naval gun|{{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} guns]] was a significant upgrade over the six [[QF 4.7-inch Mk I – IV naval gun|QF {{convert|4.7|in|adj=on}} guns]] of the ''Trafalgar'' class. These guns were intended to destroy the unarmoured structure of their opponents and they were widely spaced on two decks so that a single hit would not disable more than one. Four of the guns were situated on the main deck and were only usable in calm weather because they were so close to the ships' [[waterline]], while the remaining guns were above them on the upper deck. Together with their ammunition supply of 200 rounds per gun, the guns weighed about {{convert|500|lt|t|0}} and were one of the reasons for the large increase in displacement over the earlier ships.<ref>Brown, p. 123; Burt, pp. 73, 77–78</ref> The guns fired their {{convert|100|lb|kg|adj=on}} shells to a range of {{convert|11400|yd}} at their maximum elevation of +20°.<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 87–88</ref> Sixteen QF 6-pounder {{convert|57|mm|in|abbr=on|1|order=flip}} guns of an unknown type and a dozen [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|QF 3-pounder {{convert|47|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}}]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s were fitted for defence against [[torpedo boat]]s (''Hood'' only had eight 6-pounders). The ''Royal Sovereign''-class ships also mounted seven 14-inch (356&nbsp;mm) [[torpedo tube]]s, two submerged and four above water on the [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]], plus one above water in the stern.<ref>Brown, p. 123; Parkes, p. 355</ref>

The ''Royal Sovereign''s' armour scheme was similar to that of the ''Trafalgar''s, as the waterline [[Belt armor|belt]] of [[compound armour]] only protected the area between the barbettes. The {{convert|14|-|18|in|mm|0|adj=on}} belt was {{convert|250|ft|m|1}} long and had a total height of {{convert|8|ft|6|in|m|1}} of which {{convert|5|ft|m|1}} was below water. Transverse [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]] {{convert|16|in|0}} (forward) and 14&nbsp;inches (aft) thick formed the central [[armoured citadel]]. Above the belt was a [[strake]] of {{convert|4|in|0|adj=on}} armour, backed by deep coal bunkers, that was terminated by {{convert|3|in|adj=on}}<ref name=ck2/> oblique bulkheads that connected the upper side armour to the barbettes. The plates of the upper strake were [[Harvey armour]] only in ''Royal Sovereign''; her sisters had [[nickel steel]], although ''Hood''{{'}}s plates were {{convert|4.375|in|0}} thick.<ref>Burt, pp. 79–80, 103</ref>

The barbettes and gun turrets were protected by compound armour, ranging in thickness from {{convert|16|to|17|in|mm|0}} and the [[Casemate#Single casemates (1889 onwards)|casemates]] for the main deck 6-inch guns had a thickness equal to their diameter. The ammunition hoists to the main deck secondary guns were {{convert|2|in|0}} thick while those for the upper deck guns were twice that. The submerged armour deck was 3 inches thick amidships and reduced to {{convert|2.5|in|mm|0}} towards the ends of the ship; the forward end curved downwards to reinforce the plough-shaped [[naval ram|ram]]. The walls of the forward [[conning tower]] were {{convert|12|-|14|in|0}} thick and the communications tube that ran down to the armour deck was {{convert|8|in|0}} in thickness. The aft conning tower was protected by 3-inch plates, as was its communication tube. Between 1902 and 1904, the thin gun shields protecting the upper deck 6-inch guns were replaced by armoured casemates in all the ships except ''Hood'', whose lack of stability prevented the addition of such weights high in the ship.<ref>Burt, pp. 79–80, 85; Parkes, p. 364</ref>

==Modifications==
Bilge keels were fitted in 1894–1895 to all ships that lacked them. The three-pounder guns in the upper [[Top (sailing ship)|fighting tops]] were removed from all ships in 1899–1902 as were the gun shields of the guns in the lower fighting tops, except in ''Empress of India'' which retained hers until 1903–1904. The above-water torpedo tubes were removed from all ships in 1902–1905 and armoured casemates were fitted to the 6-inch guns on the upper deck between 1902 and 1904. [[Fire-control system|Fire-control equipment]] and [[Rangefinding telemeter|rangefinder]]s were installed in every ship in 1905–1908 and all light guns had been removed from the main deck and the fighting tops by 1909. The after [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] was removed from all but ''Revenge'' in 1910.<ref>Burt, pp. 85, 87</ref> Two years later that ship had her guns relined down to 10 inches (254&nbsp;mm) for testing;<ref>Campbell 1982, p. 45</ref> the liners were removed in October 1912.<ref>Parkes, p. 362</ref>

After the start of the First World War, ''Revenge'' was modified for coast bombardment duties. To extend the range of her guns,<ref>Campbell 1981, pp. 96, 202</ref> they were relined down to 12&nbsp;inches (305&nbsp;mm). The following year, she had anti-torpedo bulges fitted.<ref>Burt, p. 87</ref>

==Ships==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
! scope="col"|Ship
! scope="col" align = center  | Builder
!scope="col"|[[Laid down]]<ref name=s7>Silverstone, pp. 229, 239, 260–62, 265</ref>
!scope="col"|[[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]<ref name=s7/>
!scope="col"|Completed<ref name=s7/>
!scope="col" align = center  |Cost <br />(including armament)<ref>Parkes, pp. 355, 364</ref>
|-
|scope="row" |{{HMS|Royal Sovereign|1891|2}}
|align = center  |  [[Portsmouth Dockyard]]
|align = right    |  30 September 1889
|align = right    |  26 February 1891
|align = right    |  May 1892
|align = right    | [[pound sterling|£]]913,986
|-
|scope="row" |{{HMS|Empress of India||2}}
|rowspan=2 align = center valign=center |  [[Pembroke Dockyard]]
|align = right    |  9 July 1889
|align = right    |  7 May 1891
|align = right    |  11 September 1893
|align = right    | £912,162
|-
|scope="row"| {{HMS|Repulse|1892|2}}
|align = right    |  1 January 1890
|align = right    |  27 February 1892
|align = right    |  25 April 1894
|align = right    |  £915,302
|-
|scope="row"| {{HMS|Hood|1891|2}}
|align = center  |  [[Chatham Dockyard]]
|align = right    |  12 August 1889
|align = right    |  30 July 1891
|align = right    |  May 1893
|align = right    |  £926,396
|-
|scope="row"| {{HMS|Ramillies|1892|2}}
|align = center  |  [[J & G Thomson]], [[Clydebank]]
|align = right    |  11 August 1890
|align = right    |  1 March 1892
|align = right    |  17 October 1893
|align = right    |  £980,895
|-
|scope="row"|{{HMS|Resolution|1892|2}}
|rowspan=2 align = center valign=center |  [[Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company|Palmers]], [[Jarrow]]
|align = right    |   14 June 1890
|align = right    |  28 May 1892
|align = right    |  5 December 1893
|align = right    |  £953,817
|-
|scope="row"|{{HMS|Revenge|1892|2}}
|align = right    |  12 February 1891
|align = right    |  3 November 1892
|align = right    |  22 March 1894
|align = right    |  £954,825
|-
|scope="row"| {{HMS|Royal Oak|1892|2}}
|align = center  |  [[Cammell Laird|Laird Brothers]], [[Birkenhead]]
|align = right    |  29 May 1890
|align = right    |  5 November 1892
|align = right    |  12 June 1894
|align = right    |  £977,996
|}

==Operational history==
''Royal Sovereign'', ''Repulse'', ''Resolution'' and ''Empress of India'' were initially assigned to the Channel Fleet, with ''Royal Sovereign'' serving as the fleet flagship and the latter ship as the flagship of the [[second-in-command]]. ''Revenge'' and ''Royal Oak'' were commissioned into the Flying Squadron in 1896 when tensions with the German Empire were high following the Jameson Raid in [[South Africa]], with the former as the flagship. ''Ramillies'' became flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet and was joined by ''Hood''. All of the Channel Fleet ships participated in [[Queen Victoria#Diamond Jubilee|Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee]] [[Fleet review (Commonwealth realms)#Queen Victoria|fleet review]] in 1897. ''Empress of India'' and ''Royal Sovereign'' were transferred to the Mediterranean shortly after the review although only the former ship joined ''Ramillies'' and ''Hood'' as part of the [[International Squadron (Cretan intervention, 1897–1898)|International Squadron]], a multinational force that intervened in the 1897–1898 Greek Christian uprising against the [[Ottoman Empire]]'s rule in [[Crete]].<ref name=b0>Burt, pp. 90–94, 99–100, 108</ref><ref>Clowes, pp. 444, 446, 448</ref>

Beginning in 1900 those ships deployed in the Mediterranean, except for ''Hood'', began returning home and often served as a [[Her Majesty's Coastguard|coastguard]] or [[guard ship]] before beginning a long refit in 1902–1903. ''Empress of India'' was the first of the sisters to be refitted and was the only ship of the class present at King [[Edward VII]]'s Coronation Fleet Review in August 1902. The ship served as the flagship of the Home Fleet's second-in-command after her refit until she was relieved by ''Royal Oak'' in 1904. ''Revenge'' was the second ship to complete her refit and was the flagship of the Home Fleet until 1905. Most of the sisters were placed in reserve after the completion of their refit, although they usually participated in the annual fleet manoeuvres.<ref name=b0/>

''Resolution'' was the first ship of the [[ship class|class]] to be placed in reserve in June 1904. ''Royal Sovereign'', ''Ramillies'', ''Repulse'', ''Revenge'', ''Royal Oak'' and ''Empress of India'' followed in 1905. The latter ship accidentally collided with the submarine {{HMS|A10}} the following year. With the exception of ''Revenge'', they all were taken out of service in 1909–1912 and ''Empress of India'' was sunk as a [[target ship]] in 1913. ''Royal Sovereign'' and ''Ramillies'' were sold for scrap in October 1913, having been preceded by ''Repulse'' in July 1911 and followed by ''Royal Oak'' in January 1914 and ''Resolution'' in April.<ref name=b90>Burt, pp. 90–94, 99–100</ref>

''Hood'' served most of her active career with the Mediterranean Fleet, where her low freeboard was less of a disadvantage. The ship was briefly placed in reserve in 1900 and became a guard ship the following year. She returned to the Mediterranean at the end of 1901, but only remained there for a year before returning to [[Chatham Dockyard]] for a refit. ''Hood'' was assigned to the Home Fleet upon its completion in mid-1903 and was reduced to reserve in early 1905. Four years later she became the [[receiving ship]] at [[Queenstown, Ireland]]. ''Hood'' was used in the development of anti-torpedo bulges in 1911–1913 and was [[scuttled]] in late 1914 to act as a blockship across the southern entrance of [[Portland Harbour]].<ref>Burt, p. 108</ref>

''Revenge'' was [[Ship commissioning|recommissioned]] in 1906 as a gunnery [[training ship]] until she was [[Ship commissioning|paid off]] in 1913. She was recommissioned the following year, after the start of the First World War, to bombard the coast of [[Flanders]] as part of the [[Dover Patrol]], during which she was hit four times, but was not seriously damaged. She had anti-torpedo bulges fitted in early 1915, the first ship to be fitted with them operationally.<ref>Burt, pp. 87, 90</ref> Later that year the ship was renamed ''Redoubtable'' to release her name for use by the new battleship {{HMS|Revenge|06|2}} and was refitted as an accommodation ship by the end of the year. The last surviving member of her class, the ship was sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in November 1919.<ref>Burt, pp. 94, 99</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=David K.|title=Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860–1905|year=1997|publisher=Chatham|location=London|isbn=978-1-86176-022-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Burt|first=R. A.|title=British Battleships 1889–1904|year=2013|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-065-8|orig-year=1988}}
* {{cite book|editor=Roberts, John|title=Warship V|year=1981|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=978-0-85177-244-8|last=Campbell|first=N. J. M.|chapter=British Naval Guns 1880–1945 Nos. 2 and 3|pages=96–97, 200–202}}
* {{cite book|year=1982|title=Warship VI|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=978-0-87021-981-8|editor=Roberts, John|last=Campbell|first=N. J. M.|chapter=British Naval Guns 1880–1945 No. 5|pages=43–45}}
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1979|isbn=978-0-8317-0302-8|name-list-style=amp|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Clowes |first1=William Laird |title=The Royal Navy: A History From the Earliest Times to the Death of Queen Victoria, Volume Seven|location=London |publisher=Chatham Publishing |date=1997 |isbn=1-86176-016-7}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book |last1=Friedman |first1=Norman |title=British Battleships of the Victorian Era |date=2018 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-68247-329-0|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7}}
*{{cite book |last=Parkes |first=Oscar |title=British Battleships |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |year=1990 |orig-year=1957 |isbn=1-55750-075-4|author-link=Oscar Parkes}}
* {{cite book|editor=Gardiner, Robert|title=Steam, Steel and Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815–1905|series=Conway's History of the Ship|year=1992|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=978-1-55750-774-7|last=Roberts|first=John|chapter=The Pre-Dreadnought Age 1890–1905|pages=112–133}}
* {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Royal Sovereign class battleship}}
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/pre-dreadnought/hms-royal-soverign.html World War 1 Naval Combat]
* [http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Royal_Sovereign_Class_Battleship_(1891) The Dreadnought Project]

{{Royal Sovereign class battleship}}
{{WWI British ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Sovereign Class Battleship}}
[[Category:Battleship classes]]
[[Category:Royal Sovereign-class battleships| ]]
[[Category:Victorian-era battleships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]