HMS Audacious was the last of the King George V-class dreadnought battleships constructed for the Royal Navy, launched in 1912 and completed in August 1913. She measured approximately 597 feet 9 inches (182.2 meters) in length, with a beam of 89 feet 1 inch (27.2 meters) and a draught of 28 feet 8 inches (8.7 meters). Displacing around 25,420 long tons (25,830 tons) at normal load, she was powered by two Parsons steam turbines rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower, driving four shafts to achieve a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h). Her range was approximately 5,910 nautical miles (10,950 km) at a cruising speed of 10 knots (19 km/h). The ship's armament comprised ten 13.5-inch (343 mm) Mark V guns in five twin-gun turrets on the centerline, with a secondary armament of sixteen 4-inch (102 mm) guns and three submerged 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. Constructed by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead, Audacious’s cost was nearly £1.92 million. She served briefly with the 2nd Battle Squadron, participating in fleet reviews and mobilizations prior to World War I. Her active career was short-lived; during gunnery practice off Tory Island in October 1914, she struck a German-laid naval mine. The explosion caused immediate flooding, leading to a rapid list and the eventual sinking of the battleship. Despite efforts to tow her to safety, she capsized and exploded underwater, with a single casualty—a petty officer killed by shrapnel from the blast. Notably, Audacious remains the largest warship ever sunk by naval mines. Her loss was initially kept secret to prevent revealing British vulnerabilities, and the sinking was only publicly acknowledged after the war. The wreck lies upside down at depths of 58–68 meters northeast of Tory Island, with parts of her 'B' turret and barbette blown clear by the explosion. Her sinking underscored design flaws in damage control, prompting modifications across subsequent dreadnoughts. The ship’s wreck has been studied archaeologically and filmed for documentary purposes, highlighting her maritime significance as a symbol of early 20th-century naval power and the hazards faced by battleships during wartime.

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