HMS Majestic was a Majestic-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy, launched on 31 January 1895 and commissioned in December of that year. With an overall length of 421 feet (128 meters), she displaced up to 16,060 long tons (16,320 metric tons) at full load. Her beam measured 75 feet (23 meters), and she had a draft of 27 feet (8.2 meters). The ship's propulsion system consisted of two 3-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines powered by eight coal-fired Scotch marine boilers, later re-boilered with oil-fired models by 1907–1908. These engines delivered a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h) at 10,000 indicated horsepower. She was known for good seakeeping qualities, with an easy roll and reliable steam performance, though she consumed significant fuel. Her armament included four BL 12-inch (305 mm) Mk VIII guns in twin turrets—two forward and two aft—mounted on pear-shaped barbettes. Her secondary armament comprised twelve QF 6-inch (152 mm) guns in casemates across two gun decks amidships, complemented by sixteen QF 12-pounder guns, twelve QF 2-pounder guns, and five 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes (four submerged and one deck-mounted). Her belt armor was 9 inches (229 mm) of Harvey steel, providing an optimal balance of protection and weight savings, while the main battery barbettes had 14 inches (356 mm) of armor. The conning tower was similarly protected with 14 inches of steel, and the armored deck ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 inches (64–114 mm) thick. Constructed at Portsmouth Dockyard, she was laid down in February 1894 and launched in January 1895. Initially serving with the Channel Squadron, she participated in notable events such as Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review in 1897 and the Coronation Review for King Edward VII in 1902. She later served with the Atlantic Fleet and the Home Fleet, mainly as a flagship and in reserve. During World War I, she was assigned to the Channel Fleet, escorting troop convoys and serving as a guard ship. In early 1915, she was deployed to the Mediterranean for the Dardanelles Campaign, where she participated in bombardments and supported landings at Gallipoli. On 27 May 1915, while stationed off W Beach at Cape Helles, HMS Majestic was torpedoed by the German U-boat U-21 commanded by Otto Hersing, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that caused her to capsiz in 54 feet (16 meters) of water. The attack resulted in the loss of 49 crew members. Her wreck now lies at a depth of 24 meters and remains largely intact, serving as part of the Gallipoli Historic Underwater Park established in 2021. HMS Majestic's service and sinking mark her as a significant vessel in early 20th-century naval history and the Gallipoli campaign.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.