HMS Victorious

The Majestic-class were a nine ship class of pre-dreadnoughts, built under the Spencer Programme, the First Sea Lord, and would be a benchmark for successor pre-dreadnoughts. When the nameship was launched in 1894, at 421 ft and with a full load displacement of 16,000 tons, the Majestics were the largest battleships ever conceived.

The Majestic design was also adapted by the Imperial Japanese Navy for their own pre-dreadnought class, the Shikishima-class, as well as the Mikasa, which was largely based on the Shikishimas.

The Majestics also boasted a new gun, the 12-in Mk VIII, which was a significant improvement on the 13.5-in gun, which had been fitted on the Admiral and Royal Sovereign classes. The class was also the last to have side by side funnels, with the successor classes having funnels in a line. They were all effectively made obsolete by the introduction of HMS Dreadnought. All surviving ships were scrapped by 1923.

Ships of the Class

• Caesar - Was involved in WWI. She took part in operations after WWI against the Bolsheviks, during the Russian Civil War in the Black Sea.
• Hannibal - In World War One, she served as a troopship, having her 12-in guns removed for the monitors Prince Eugene and Sir John Moore.
• Illustrious - During WWI, she was initially used as a guard-ship. In 1916, she then became an ammunition ship.
• Jupiter - Was a guard-ship at the Humber, on the outbreak of war in 1914. She was then used as an ice breaker at Archangel.
• Magnificent - She was used as a troopship and ammunition ship during WWI.
• Majestic - She collided with her sister-ship HMS Victorious in 1912. In WWI, she was initially used as an escort for Canadian troop convoys and then was involved in the bombardment of Zeebrugge in 1915. She was sunk in 1915 by U-21, while bombarding the forts at Gaba Tepe during the Dardanelles Campaign, with the loss of forty of her crew.
• Mars - She was used as a guard-ship at the Humber on the outbreak of war in 1914. Like some of her sister-ships, Mars had her main armament removed for monitors of the Lord Clive-class, with Mars subsequently becoming a troop transport. In this role, Mars helped in the evacuation of troops from Gallipoli. She was used as a depot ship for the rest of the war.
• Prince George - In 1909, Prince George collided with the armoured cruiser HMS Shannon. During WWI, she took part in the Dardanelles Campaign.
• Victorious - She never saw active service during WWI. She was used as a dockyard repair ship for the duration of the war.