View source for HMS King Alfred (1901)

{{short description|Cruiser of the Royal Navy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS King Alfred (1901) IWM Q 021420.jpg
|Ship caption=''King Alfred'' during the First World War
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''King Alfred''
|Ship ordered=
|Ship namesake=[[Alfred the Great]], King of [[Wessex]]
|Ship builder=[[Vickers Limited]], [[Barrow-in-Furness]]
|Ship laid down=11 August 1899
|Ship launched=28 October 1901
|Ship christened=[[Earl of Lathom|Countess of Lathom]]
|Ship completed=22 December 1903
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]], 30 January 1920
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Drake|cruiser|0}} [[armoured cruiser]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|14150|LT|t}} (normal)
|Ship length={{convert|533|ft|6|in|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|71|ft|4|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|26|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|30000|ihp|lk=in|abbr=on}}
*43 [[Belleville boiler]]s
|Ship propulsion=*2 × shafts
*2 × 4-cylinder [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|23|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=900
|Ship armament=*2 × single [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX - X|BL 9.2-inch Mk X guns]]
*16 × single [[BL 6 inch Mk VII naval gun|BL 6-inch Mk VII guns]]
*12 × single [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|QF 12-pdr 12-cwt guns]]<ref group=Note>"Cwt" is the abbreviation for [[hundredweight]], 12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.</ref>
*3 × [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss|3-pounder Hotchkiss guns]]
*2 × single [[British 18 inch torpedo|18-inch torpedo tubes]]

|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|2|-|6|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]s: {{convert|1|-|2.5|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Barbette]]s: {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
*[[Gun turret|Turrets]]: {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|12|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
}}
|}

'''HMS ''King Alfred''''' was one of four {{sclass|Drake|cruiser|0}} [[armoured cruiser]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] around 1900. She served as [[flagship]] of the [[China Station]] from 1906 until relieved in 1910. Upon her return home that year, she was placed in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] before being [[Ship commissioning|recommissioned]] in mid-1914. She was assigned to the [[6th Cruiser Squadron]] of the [[Grand Fleet]] at the beginning of World War I. She was transferred to the [[9th Cruiser Squadron]] in 1915 and assigned to convoy protection duties by the end of the year. ''King Alfred'' participated in the unsuccessful searches for the German [[commerce raider]] {{SMS|Möwe|1914|6}} in 1916–17 before beginning to escort convoys later that year. The ship was [[torpedo]]ed by a German [[submarine]] in 1918, but returned to service. She was sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in 1920.

==Design and description==
''King Alfred'' was designed to [[Displacement (ship)|displace]] {{convert|14150|LT|t}}. The ship had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|553|ft|6|in|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|71|ft|4|in|m|1}} and a deep [[draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|26|ft|9|in|m|1}}. She was powered by two 4-cylinder [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s, each driving one shaft, which produced a total of {{convert|30000|ihp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|23|kn|lk=in}}. The engines were powered by 43 [[Belleville boiler]]s.<ref name=ck8>Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 69</ref> She carried a maximum of {{convert|2500|LT|t}} of coal and her complement consisted of 900 officers and ratings.<ref name=f6>Friedman 2012, p. 336</ref>

Her main armament consisted of two [[List of British ordnance terms#BL|breech-loading]] (BL) [[BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX - X|{{convert|9.2|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} Mk X guns]] in single [[gun turret]]s, one each fore and aft of the superstructure.<ref name=f6/> They fired {{convert|380|lb|adj=on}} shells to a range of {{convert|15500|yd}}.<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 71–72</ref> Her secondary armament of sixteen [[BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun|BL 6-inch Mk VII guns]] was arranged in [[casemate]]s amidships. Eight of these were mounted on the main deck and were only usable in calm weather.<ref>Friedman 2012, pp. 243, 260–61</ref> They had a maximum range of approximately {{convert|12200|yd}} with their {{convert|100|lb|adj=on}} shells.<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 80–81</ref> A dozen [[quick-firing gun|quick-firing (QF)]] [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|12-pounder 12 cwt guns]] were fitted for defence against [[torpedo boat]]s. Two additional [[QF 12-pounder 8-cwt Mk I naval gun|12-pounder 8 cwt guns]] could be dismounted for service ashore.<ref>Friedman 2012, pp. 250, 336</ref> ''King Alfred'' also carried three [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|3-pounder]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s and two submerged [[British 18 inch torpedo|{{convert|17.72|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s.<ref name=ck8/>

By April 1918, the ship had all of the lower casemates for her six-inch guns plated over and six of them remounted on the upper deck so they could be used in heavy weather. Several twelve-pounders were removed to make room for the six-inch guns.<ref name=f3/>

The ship's [[waterline]] [[Belt armor|armour belt]] had a maximum thickness of {{convert|6|in|0}} and was closed off by {{convert|5|in|adj=on|0}} transverse [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]s. The armour of the gun turrets and their barbettes was 6 inches thick while the casemate armour was 5 inches thick. The protective [[deck (ship)|deck]] armour ranged in thickness from {{convert|1|-|2.5|in|mm|0}} and the conning tower was protected by {{convert|12|in|0}} of armour.<ref name=ck8/>

==Construction and service==
[[File:HMS King Alfred (ca. 1901)(bow).jpg|thumb|left|The [[naval ram|ram]] bow of ''King Alfred'' under construction]]
''King Alfred'', named after [[Alfred the Great]], [[Anglo-Saxon]] King of [[Wessex]],<ref name=s7>Silverstone, p. 247</ref> was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 11 August 1899 by [[Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Ltd|Vickers, Sons & Maxim]] at their shipyard in [[Barrow-in-Furness]]<ref name=ck8/> and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 28 October 1901, when she was named by the [[Earl of Lathom|Countess of Lathom]].<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military Intelligence - Launch of the King Alfred |date=29 October 1901 |page=8 |issue=36598}}</ref> She left Barrow for [[Portsmouth]] in early June 1902,<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=9 June 1902 |page=12 |issue=36789}}</ref> and was completed on 22 December 1903.

After commissioning, she [[Ship grounding|ran aground]] off [[Shoeburyness]] on 5 May 1905.<ref name=s7/> She became flagship of the China Station in 1906 and remained there until 1910. Upon her return home she was assigned to the reserve 2nd Fleet.<ref name=f3>Friedman 2012, p. 283</ref> On 18 June 1910 ''King Alfred'' collided with the [[collier (ship)|collier]] {{Ship|SS|Cheapside|1901|2}} off [[Start Point, Devon]], sinking ''Cheapside'', although ''King Alfred'' received little damage.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Naval Matters – Past and Prospective: Devonport Dockyard|magazine=The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect |volume=33| date=August 1910|page=11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?37217|title=SS Cheapside [+1910]|publisher=Wrecksite|accessdate=13 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=12360&vessel=CHEAPSIDE|title=Cheapside|work=Clyde Built Ships|publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust|accessdate=13 May 2017}}</ref> On 31 July 1913, ''King Alfred'', which together with sister ships {{HMS|Good Hope|1901|2}} and {{HMS|Drake|1901|2}} and the light cruisers {{HMS|Active|1911|2}} and {{HMS|Amphion|1911|2}}, had left [[Grimsby]] that morning to take part in naval manoeuvres, collided with the Spanish steamer ''Umbre''.''Umbre'' sank within 75 minutes, with her crew rescued by ''King Alfred''. The owners of ''Umbre'' took legal action for damages, and in the resultant court case, judgement was made in favour of ''Umbre''{{'}}s owners, with blame placed on ''King Alfred''.<ref>{{cite news|title=H.M.S. King Alfred in Collision: Spanish Steamer Sunk |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=1 August 1913 |issue=40279 |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=High Court Of Justice. Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division |newspaper=The Times |date=20 November 1913 |issue=40374 |page=20}}</ref>

When recommissioned in 1914, ''King Alfred'' was assigned to the 6th Cruiser Squadron, together with her [[sister ship]], ''Drake'', and was briefly deployed at the beginning of the war to blockade the northern exit from the [[North Sea]].<ref>Goldrick, p. 25</ref> She was transferred to the 9th Cruiser Squadron in October 1915.<ref name=gg2>Gardiner & Gray, p. 12</ref> By January 1916, the squadron, under the command of [[Rear Admiral]] [[Gordon Moore (Royal Navy officer)|Archibald Moore]] in ''King Alfred'', was patrolling the western entrance to the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] and unsuccessfully searching for the [[commerce raider]] {{SMS|Möwe|1914|6}}.<ref>Corbett, Vol. III, pp. 267–68</ref> The raider evaded all the British ships and returned to Germany before [[sortie]]ing again into the Atlantic in late November. In the meantime, Rear Admiral [[Sydney Fremantle]] hoisted his flag in ''King Alfred'' on 22 September, succeeding Moore. When the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] received word that ''Möwe'' was loose in the Atlantic in early December, Fremantle ordered his ships to patrol the eastern trade routes, but the raider slipped through the gap between squadrons. When the sweep was concluded, the ship returned to Freetown on 25 December. Fremantle was relieved by Rear Admiral [[Thomas Sheppard (Royal Navy officer)|Thomas Sheppard]] three days later. On her return voyage in March 1917, ''Möwe'' passed through the squadron's patrol area without being spotted.<ref>Newbolt, Vol. IV, pp. 177, 181, 184, 191</ref> In July ''King Alfred'' arrived at [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]] to begin a refit that was completed on 13 August. She escorted convoys from [[Dakar]] and Freetown to [[Plymouth]] for the rest of the year. In February 1918 she began escorting troop convoys from [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]].<ref name=tr/> The ship was torpedoed by [[SM UB-86|''UB-86'']] on 11 April 1918, north of Ireland,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/7431.html|title=Ships hit during WWI HMS King Alfred|publisher=Uboat.net|accessdate=1 March 2014}}</ref> killing one man. She was repaired in [[Liverpool]]<ref name=tr>Transcript</ref> and returned to service. She was sold for scrap on 30 January 1920 and broken up in the [[Netherlands]].<ref name=s7/>

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|name-list-style=amp|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2}}
* {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian|title=Naval Operations|edition=reprint of the 1940 second|series=History of the Great War: Based on Official Documents|volume=III|year=1997|publisher=Imperial War Museum in association with the Battery Press|location=London and Nashville, Tennessee|isbn=1-870423-50-X}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Cruisers of the Victorian Era|year=2012|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|isbn=978-1-59114-068-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Gray|editor2-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-85177-245-5|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Newbolt|first=Henry|title=Naval Operations|edition=reprint of the 1928|series=History of the Great War Based on Official Documents|volume=IV|year=1996|publisher=Battery Press|location=Nashville, Tennessee|isbn=0-89839-253-5}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-05KingAlfred.htm|title=Transcript: HMS KING ALFRED - September 1915 to May 1918, Central & North Atlantic, British waters|work=Royal Navy Log Books of the World War 1 Era|publisher=Naval-History.net|accessdate=1 March 2014}}
* {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|HMS King Alfred (ship, 1903)|HMS King Alfred}}

{{Drake class cruiser}}
{{April 1918 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:King Alfred (1901)}}
[[Category:Drake-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness]]
[[Category:1901 ships]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1918]]