HMS
London was
laid down at
Portsmouth Dockyard on 8 December 1898,
launched on 21 September 1899, and completed in June 1902.
London commissioned at Portsmouth Dockyard on 7 June 1902 for service in the
Mediterranean Fleet, with Captain
James Goodrich in command. Before departure from home waters, she was scheduled to serve as
flagship for the
Coronation Review for King
Edward VII at
Spithead planned for 28 June 1902, but the King fell ill and the coronation and review was rescheduled for August 1902, without the
London. She thus left
Portsmouth in early July, stopping at
Gibraltar, and arrived at
Malta on 14 July. In September 1902 she visited the
Aegean Sea with other ships of the station for combined manoeuvres near
Nauplia, and in February 1903 she left Malta for
Platanias, accompanied by
HMS Illustrious,
HMS Caesar and
HMS Myrmidon. While in the
Mediterranean, she underwent refits at Malta in 1902–1903 and 1906. Starting in 1905, the ship began to have her 3-pounder guns gradually removed. In March 1907,
London transferred to the
Nore Division,
Home Fleet, at the
Nore, then to the
Channel Fleet on 2 June 1908, serving as Flagship, Rear Admiral, Channel Fleet. She underwent a refit at
Chatham Dockyard in 1908, which included the transfer of her last two 3-pounder guns from her foremast to her aft bridge and a
flying bridge was installed aft. She was paid off there on 19 April 1909 to undergo another extensive refit, which saw the removal of the flying bridge. Her refit complete,
London commissioned at Chatham on 8 February 1910 to serve as Second Flagship,
Rear Admiral,
Atlantic Fleet. Later that year, she had the last two of her 3-pounder guns removed. Under the fleet reorganisation of 1 May 1912, she became part of the Second Home Fleet at the Nore, reduced to a nucleus crew and assigned to the
3rd Battle Squadron. She collided with the merchant steamer
SS Don Benite on 11 May 1912. She transferred to the
5th Battle Squadron and was used in experiments with flying off aircraft from May 1912 until 1913, employing a ramp built over her
forecastle which had been transferred from the battleship
Hibernia. During these experiments, Commander
Charles Rumney Samson—who had made the worlds first takeoff from a moving ship in May 1912 from
Hibernia using a
Short Improved S.27 biplane and the same ramp—repeated his feat by taking off in the same aeroplane from
London on 4 July 1912 while
London was underway. In 1913,
London had her
anti-torpedo nets removed.
First World War Upon the outbreak of the
First World War in August 1914, the 5th Battle Squadron was assigned to the Channel Fleet and based at
Portland. Their first task was to escort the
British Expeditionary Force across the English Channel. A number of experimental paint schemes were tried during the first month of the war but these were quickly abandoned in favour of battleship grey. It was briefly planned to deploy the squadron to replace the ships lost during the
action of 22 September 1914 but the orders to transfer to the
Medway were rescinded. The squadron transferred to
Sheerness on 14 November 1914 to guard against a possible German invasion. While there,
London was present when the battleship exploded.
Londons crew joined in the attempts to rescue survivors. The enquiry into the explosion was carried out aboard
London. The squadron returned to Portland on 30 December 1914. In January 1915, the British and French navies began to draw ships to the eastern Mediterranean to begin operations against the
Ottoman Empire, including several ships from the 5th Battle Squadron. By the end of the month, only
London, the battleships , , and , and the
light cruisers and were at Portland. In March 1915, as the British and French fleets waging the Dardanelles campaign were preparing to launch a major attack on 18 March, the overall commander, Admiral
Sackville Carden, requested two more battleships of the 5th Squadron,
Implacable and
Queen, to be transferred to his command in the expectation of losses in the coming operation. By the time they arrived, the British had lost two battleships in the 18 March attack, prompting the Admiralty to finally disband 5th Squadron and send
London and
Prince of Wales to join the fleet. Before they departed, they were modified slightly for operations off the Dardanelles, including the installation of a pair of 3-pounder anti-aircraft guns on their
quarterdecks and the re-installation of anti-torpedo nets.
London arrived at
Lemnos on 23 March 1915, and over the next month, she took part in preparations of the British and French fleet for the
landings at Cape Helles and
at Anzac Cove, the beginning of the land portion of the
Gallipoli Campaign. On her arrival in the eastern Mediterranean,
London joined the 2nd Squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral
Cecil Thursby. She supported the main landings at
Gaba Tepe and
Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915.
London arrived off the landing beach at about midnight, along with
Queen and
Prince of Wales; they were tasked with supporting the landing of the
3rd Australian Brigade.
London covered the left side of the beach. Over the course of the landing,
London and the other covering ships provided covering fire as the ANZAC troops advanced inland and helped to suppress Ottoman artillery.
London, along with battleships
Implacable,
Queen, and
Prince of Wales, was transferred to the 2nd Detached Squadron, organised to reinforce the
Italian Navy in the
Adriatic Sea when Italy declared war on
Austria-Hungary. She was based at
Taranto, Italy, and underwent a refit at Gibraltar in October 1915 during her Adriatic service. In October 1916,
London returned to the United Kingdom, paid off at
Devonport Dockyard to provide crews for
antisubmarine vessels, and was laid up. While inactive, she underwent a refit in 1916–1917. The work included removing her main deck 6-inch guns and the upper deck 12-pounder guns and moving four of the 6-inch weapons to the upper deck battery where the 12-pounder guns had been located. In February 1918,
London moved to
Rosyth and began conversion to a
minelayer. The conversion included removal of all four of her 12-inch (305-mm) guns and her anti-torpedo nets, replacement of her after main-battery turret with a 6-inch gun, and installation of minelaying equipment on her quarterdeck, including rails for 240
mines, and of a
canvas screen to conceal the entire quarterdeck from external view. She also received an experimental
dazzle camouflage paint scheme. The conversion was completed in April 1918, and on 18 May 1918
London recommissioned at Rosyth for service in the
Grand Fleet's 1st Minelaying Squadron. Before the war ended on 11 November 1918,
London had laid 2,640 mines in the
Northern Mine Barrage.
Postwar In January 1919,
London was reduced to reserve at Devonport as a
depot ship and repainted gray. As part of a post-war fleet organisation, she was assigned to the 3rd Fleet there.
London was placed on the disposal list at Devonport in January 1920, and on the sale list on 31 March 1920. She was sold for scrapping to
Stanlee Shipbreaking Company on 4 June 1920. She was resold to
Slough Trading Company, then again resold to a German firm. She was towed to Germany for scrapping in April 1922. ==Notes==