British Battleships of World War One. R. A. Burt

altered course to investigate. At 17.46 sighted the Chester which was retiring on the 3rd BCS and hotly engaged with the enemy light cruisers believed to be Frankfurt, Weisbaden, Pillau and Elbing. At 17.50 Invincible with Inflexible opened fire on Weisbaden and Pillau, badly damaging both. At 18.10 enemy launched a torpedo attack to cover retreat and Invincible was forced to turn to starboard to avoid it. At 18.20 she sighted 1st and 2nd BCS to port steering north. Invincible swung into line ahead of them on an ESE course. At 18.30 she engaged the German battlecruisers Derfflinger and Lützow inflicting serious damage on both of them. At approximately 18.33 she was hit in ‘Q’ turret but apparently not badly damaged. She was hitting the enemy vessels very hard, but had now come under the fire of more than one ship, some of which were the van of the German High Seas Fleet. The strikes on and around ‘Q’ turret reached her propellant charges which in turn reached her amidships magazines. The ship blew up with a tremendous explosion, flames rising about 400 feet, and when the smoke had cleared about twenty minutes later, both bow and stern were visibly projecting bottom up from the water, the smashed amidships section apparently resting on the bottom. She vanished during the night, time uncertain. 61 officers and 965 men (including five civilians) were lost, only six survivors being picked up by Badger.

      History: Inflexible

      Built under the 1905–6 Estimates. Began steam trials 20 June 1908. Completed trials in October of that year.

      1908 20 Oct Commissioned at Chatham to relieve Jupiter in Nore Division of Home Fleet. At end of 1908 cruised in Mediterranean.

      1909 March Transferred to 1st CS (later 5th CS) Home Fleet on its transformation.

      June Took part in Imperial Press Conference Review.

      6–7 July Annual manoeuvres with the combined fleets.

      17–24 July Visited Southend with units of Home and Atlantic Fleets.

      31 July Present at Royal Review of Home and Atlantic Fleets at Spithead.

      Sept With Special Squadron which represented Great Britain at the Hudson-Fulton celebrations at New York, she flew the flag of Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Edward Seymour.

      16 Sept Left for New York.

      24 Sept Reached Sandy Hook.

      9 Oct Left New York for return voyage.

      19 Oct Returned to Portsmouth.

      1910 April Exercises in Scottish waters with Home and Atlantic Fleets.

      July Annual manoeuvres with Atlantic, Home and Mediterranean Fleets, and visited Torbay.

      1911 Jan Combined exercises off the NW coast of Spain with the above fleets.

      Spring With 2nd Division Home Fleet in Dublin Bay for State Visit of the King and Queen.

      Inflexible in the Dardanelles early 1915, wearing a one-off three-tone camouflage scheme.

      Bow-on view of Inflexible after running into a mine in Eren Keui Bay on 18 March 1915. Listing to port and receiving assistance from auxiliary vessels. She was later taken in tow by Canopus (see History: Inflexible).

      26 May Collided with Bellerophon at Portland, sustained slight damage to bows.

      24 June Present at Coronation Review at Spithead.

      June–July Annual manoeuvres off SW coast and in North Sea.

      18 Nov Temporarily relieved Indomitable as flagship 1st CS Home Fleet during latter’s refit.

      1912 8 May Relieved as flagship and became a private ship again.

      9 July Took part in Parliamentary Review followed by more manoeuvres and visit to Torbay.

      Autumn Cruising, and visited Norway and Denmark.

      Nov Transferred to Mediterranean Squadron as flagship of the C in C, replacing Good Hope.

      5 Nov Commissioned for this service at Chatham.

      1913 2nd BCS Mediterranean Squadron was formed.

      19 July Visited Piraeus.

      Nov Combined exercises in Mediterranean with part of Home Fleet.

      1914 July Visited Constantinople.

      27 July At Alexandria with Indefatigable, Warrior, Black Prince, Chatham, Dublin, Weymouth, Gloucester and fourteen destroyers.

      3 Aug Left Malta.

      5 Aug Concentrated off Pantellaria with Indomitable and Indefatigable.

      6 Aug Patrolling off Pantellaria with Indomitable and Indefatigable.

      7 Aug Reached Malta at 12.00 to coal.

      8 Aug With Indomitable, Indefatigable and Weymouth, left Malta at 00.30 to search for the German Goeben and Breslau.

      10 Aug At 04.00 the Squadron rounded Cape Malea.

      10–11 Aug Searching the Aegean Islands.

      18 Aug Left Malta for home.

      Late Aug Joined 2nd BCS Grand Fleet at Rosyth.

      10–11 Sept With Grand Fleet in a sweep to the Heligoland Bight, then, with Invincible, to the North.

      14–17 Sept With 3rd BS and Invincible, covering cruiser sweeps in North Sea.

      Late Sept With Invincible cruising north of Faroe Islands, rejoined 1st BCS at sea on 29th.

      2 Oct Left Scapa Flow.

      2–10 Oct With Invincible, Sappho and three minelayers on patrol between Shetlands and Faroes during the crossing of the Canadian Contingent.

      18–25 Oct With Invincible covering unsuccessful air raid on Zeppelin sheds at Cuxhaven.

      5–6 Nov With Invincible, left Cromarty for Devonport at midnight and proceeded west around Ireland.

      Inflexible showing damage received during the Dardanelles campaign whilst bombarding Hamidieh (fort 16) and Namazieh (fort 17) on 18 March 1915.

      8–11 Nov At Devonport fitting out for detached service.

      11 Nov Sailed for Falkland Islands. At Battle of the Falklands 8 December 1914 (see Invincible). Sustained no damage during the battle and was able to pick up 10 officers and 52 men from Gneisenau after that vessel sank. Inflexible had one man killed and two slightly wounded.

      13 Dec With Glasgow, left Port Stanley at 08.30 to investigate rumours that Dresden was at Punta Arenas.

      17 Dec Passed into Pacific and met Bristol and Glasgow in Gulf of Penas where she received orders to return home immediately. Left for Port Stanley.

      Late Dec/Jan 1915 Refitting at Gibraltar.

      1915 24 Jan Reached Dardanelles to replace Indefatigable as flagship of British Dardanelles Squadron, intending to engage Goeben should she come out. The flag was transferred at Skyros.

      Feb At Mudros. She was to have returned