HMS Blake (1889)

HMS Blake, named in honour of Admiral Robert Blake, was the lead ship of her class of protected cruiser that served in the Royal Navy from 1889–1922.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Blake.

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Blake
Namesake:	Admiral Robert Blake
Builder:	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down:	July 1888
Launched:	23 November 1889
Reclassified:	Destroyer depot ship, 1907
Fate:	Sold for breaking up 9 June 1922
General characteristics
Class and type:	Blake-class protected cruiser
Displacement:	9,150 tons
Length:	375 ft (114.3 m) (p.p.)[1] 399 ft 9 in (121.8 m) (o/a)[2]
Beam:	65 ft (19.8 m)
Draught:	24 ft (7.3 m) (normal)[2] 25 ft (7.6 m) (maximum)[1]
Installed power:	20,000 ihp (14,910 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × triple-expansion steam engines (2 main, 2 cruising)[2] 6 × boilers 2 × screws
Speed:	22 kn (25.3 mph; 40.7 km/h)
Capacity:	As Destroyer Depot Ship: Coal: 624 short tons (566 t) (normal internal fuel)[1] 650 short tons (590 t) (carried in 1-cwt bags for destroyers)[1]
Complement:	570 officers and enlisted[2]
Armament:	As Built: 2 × BL 9.2-inch (234 mm) guns 10 × QF 6-inch (152 mm) guns 16 × 3-pounder (47 mm) guns 4 × 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes[2] As Destroyer Depot Ship:*[1] 4 × 6-inch (152 mm) guns 2 × 4-inch (102 mm) guns
Armour:	Deck: 3–6 in (7.6–15.2 cm)[2] Casemates: 6 in (15.2 cm)[2]

She was launched on 23 November 1889 at Chatham Dockyard, but not completed until 2 February 1892.

Service history

After service as the flagship of the North America and West Indies Squadron from 1892–1895, Blake served in the Channel Fleet.

In October 1900 she was employed as a temporary transport ship under the command of Captain Casper Josep Baker. She arrived at Plymouth on 2 January 1901 with the relieved crew of HMS Empress of India and invalids and prisoners from the Mediterranean Station.[3] Later the same month she was sent to Australia with Captain Thomas Philip Walker and a crew, to relieve the crew on HMS Royal Arthur, flagship of the Australia Station.[4] She returned to Plymouth with the former crew of Royal Arthur in June 1901,[5] and was paid off at Devonport on 15 July 1901 to be refitted.[6]

She was later converted to a destroyer depot ship in 1907, serving through World War I as depot ship to the 11th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet, and was finally sold for scrapping on 9 June 1922.

Notes

1. (2001) Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I, pg. 89. Random House, London. ISBN 1-85170-378-0
2. Ford, Roger (2001) The Encyclopedia of Ships, pg. 231. Amber Books, London. ISBN 978-1-905704-43-9
3. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36342). London. 3 January 1901. p. 8.
4. "Naval and Military intelligence". The Times (36390). London. 28 February 1901. p. 6.
5. "Naval & military intelligence". The Times (36489). London. 24 June 1901. p. 12.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36508). London. 16 July 1901. p. 10.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Roger Chesneau and Eugene M. Kolesnik, ed., Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860–1905, (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1979), ISBN 0-85177-133-5
• F.J. Dittmar & J. J. Colledge, British Warships 1914–1919, (Ian Allan, London, 1972), ISBN 0-7110-0380-7
• Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Random House Group, Ltd. 2001. p. 89. ISBN 1-85170-378-0.
• Ford, Roger; Gibbons, Tony; Hewson, Rob; Jackson, Bob; Ross, David (2001). The Encyclopedia of Ships. London: Amber Books, Ltd. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-905704-43-9.