HMS Ocean (1898)

The fourth HMS Ocean was a battleship displacing 12,950 tons and armed with four 12-inch and twelve six-inch guns. She was launched in 1898, designed to be able to transit the Suez Canal. From the Mediterranean Station she transferred to the China Station in 1901 before paying off in 1905 and becoming part of the Chatham Reserve[?]. In 1906 she joined the China Fleet[?] and returned to the Mediterranean in 1908. In 1910 she returned home and joined the Fourth Division of the Home Fleet[?].

Two months after the outbreak of World War I she was despatched to the East Indies for the protection of the Persian Gulf convoys. In January 1915 she defended the Suez Canal against the Turks and then sailed to take part in operations against the Dardanelles. She became part of a squadron comprising HM Ships Albion[?], Irresistible[?], Majestic[?], Triumph[?], and Vengeance[?], which from March 1 bombarded various forts and strait defences. On March 18, after standing by the disabled Irresistible, Ocean herself struck a mine and was almost simultaneously crippled by shelling. She sank that night.

See HMS Ocean for other Navy ships of the same name.

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