View source for Lord Nelson-class battleship

{{Short description|Pre-dreadnought battleship class of the British Royal Navy}}
{{Distinguish|Nelson-class battleship}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Lord Nelson IWM Q 021459.jpg
|Ship caption=''Lord Nelson''}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Lord Nelson'' class
|Builders=
|Operators={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|Class before={{sclass|Swiftsure|battleship|4}}
|Class after={{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}}
|Built range=1905–1908
|In service range=1908–1926
|In commission range=1908–1919
|Total ships planned=3
|Total ships completed=2
|Total ships cancelled=1
|Total ships scrapped=2
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Pre-dreadnought battleship]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|15358|LT|t|lk=on}} (normal)
*{{convert|17820|LT|MT|0}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|443|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on|1}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|79|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draught={{convert|30|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} (extra deep load)
|Ship power=*15 [[water-tube boiler]]s
*{{convert|16750|ihp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 shafts; 2 [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|18|knots|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|9180|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=*ca. 750 in peacetime
*ca. 800 in wartime
|Ship armament=*2 × twin [[BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun|{{cvt|12|in|0}} guns]]
*4 × twin, 2 × single [[BL 9.2 inch Mk XI naval gun|{{cvt|9.2|in|0}} guns]]
*24 × single [[QF 12 pounder 18 cwt naval gun|12-pdr {{cvt|3|in|0}} guns]]
*12 × single [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss|3-pdr ({{cvt|47|mm|in|1}}) guns]]
*5 × [[British 18 inch torpedo|18&nbsp;in (450&nbsp;mm) torpedo]] tubes
|Ship armour=*[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{cvt|12|in|mm|0}}
*Upper belt: {{cvt|8|in|0}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck(s)]]: {{cvt|1|-|4|in|mm|0}}
*[[Barbette]]s: {{cvt|3|-|12|in|mm|0}}
*Main [[gun turret]]s: {{cvt|12|in|mm|0}}
*Secondary gun turrets: {{cvt|7|-|8|in|mm|0}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{cvt|12|in|mm|0}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{cvt|8|in|0}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Lord Nelson'' class''' consisted of a pair of [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] in the first decade of the twentieth century. Although they were the last British pre-dreadnoughts, both were completed and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] well over a year after {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}} had entered service in late 1906. {{HMS|Lord Nelson|1906|2}} and {{HMS|Agamemnon|1906|2}} were assigned to the [[Home Fleet]] when completed in 1908, with the former ship often serving as a [[flagship]]. The [[sister ship]]s were transferred to the [[Channel Fleet]] when the [[First World War]] began in August 1914. They were transferred to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] in early 1915 to participate in the [[Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign|Dardanelles Campaign]].

They remained there after the end of that campaign in 1916 and were assigned to the [[Eastern Mediterranean Squadron]], which was later redesignated the Aegean Squadron, to prevent the ex-German [[battlecruiser]] {{ship|Ottoman battlecruiser|Yavuz Sultan Selim||2}} and her consort, the [[light cruiser]] {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Midilli||2}}, from breaking out into the Mediterranean from the [[Dardanelles]], although neither ship was present when the German ships made that attempt in early 1918. Both ships participated in the [[Occupation of Constantinople]] in November following the [[Armistice of Mudros]] which ended Turkish participation in the war. The sisters returned home in mid-1919 and were placed into [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] upon their arrival. ''Lord Nelson'' sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] in 1920, but ''Agamemnon'' was converted into a [[radio-controlled]] [[target ship]] that year and continued in that role until being sold for scrap in early 1927, the last surviving British pre-dreadnought.

==Background and design==
Pioneering [[naval artillery|naval gunnery]] developments by [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] [[Percy Scott]] in the early 1900s were already pushing expected battle ranges out to an unprecedented {{convert|6000|yd|m}}, a distance great enough to force gunners to wait for the shells to arrive before applying corrections for the next [[salvo]]. A related problem was that the shell splashes from the more numerous smaller weapons tended to obscure the splashes from the bigger guns. Either the smaller-[[Caliber|calibre]] guns would have to hold their fire to wait for the slower-firing heavies, losing the advantage of their faster rate of fire, or it would be uncertain whether a splash was due to a heavy or a light gun, making ranging and aiming unreliable. Another problem was that longer-range [[torpedo]]es were expected to soon be in service and these would discourage ships from closing to ranges where the smaller guns' faster rate of fire would become preeminent. Keeping the range open generally negated the threat from torpedoes and further reinforced the need for heavy guns of a uniform calibre.<ref>Brown, pp. 180–182</ref>

After being appointed [[Director of Naval Construction]] in early 1902, [[Philip Watts (naval architect)|Philip Watts]] and the [[Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy]], [[Vice-Admiral (Royal Navy)|Vice-Admiral]] [[William May (Royal Navy officer)|William May]] conducted studies that revealed the destructive power of smaller guns such as the {{convert|6|in|0|adj=on}} was far smaller than that of larger guns like the {{convert|12|in|mm|0|adj=on}}. The greater damage inflicted at greater range by larger guns meant that there was a very real chance that the lightly protected smaller guns would be destroyed before they could open fire and that thicker armour was required over a greater area to resist large-calibre shells.<ref>Burt, p. 312</ref> 
 
The [[Board of Admiralty]] wished to keep the size of the 1903–1904 Naval Programme battleships to about the {{convert|14000|LT|t|lk=in}} of the earlier {{sclass|Duncan|battleship|4}} and also required them to be able to use the [[drydock]]s at [[HM Dockyard, Chatham|Chatham]], [[HM Dockyard, Portsmouth|Portsmouth]] and [[HM Dockyard, Devonport|Devonport]], even though these had been enlarged before the ships were completed. This latter requirement severely constrained the length and [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of the design. Preliminary design work began in mid-1902 and it became clear that a [[Displacement (ship)|displacement]] at least equal to that of the preceding {{sclass|King Edward VII|battleship|4}} would be required. Lacking a consensus on the design, May called a conference in November to discuss the way forward. The participants agreed to increase the armour to a maximum of 12 inches and the maximum displacement to {{convert|16500|LT|t}}, eliminated the three-calibre gun armament that had proven so unpopular in the ''King Edward VII''s in favour of a mix of 12-inch and {{convert|9.2|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns, and rejected the version armed with only {{convert|10|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns proposed by Watts.<ref>Burt, pp. 312–313; McBride, pp. 66–67</ref>

The Admiralty formally approved a {{convert|16350|LT|t|adj=on}} design armed with four 12-inch and a dozen 9.2-inch guns on 6 August 1903, but revoked it in October when they discovered that it could not be docked at Chatham. As it was now too late to revise the design in time for the 1903–1904 Programme, the Admiralty ordered three more ''King Edward VII''-class ships instead. Watts refined the design to ensure that it could enter the Chatham docks, which required reducing the number of 9.2-inch guns to only 10, and it was approved on 10 February 1904.<ref>McBride, pp. 69–71</ref> A planned third ship of the class was cancelled due to financial pressures arising from the purchase of the [[Swiftsure-class battleship|''Swiftsure''-class battleships]].<ref>Dodson, p. 102</ref>

==Description==
[[File:HMS Agamemnon (1908) profile drawing.png|left|thumb|3-view profile and plan of ''Agamemnon'']]
The ''Lord Nelson''-class ships had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|443|ft|6|in|m|1}}, a beam of {{convert|79|ft|6|in|m|1}} and an extra [[deep load]] [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|30|ft|m|1}}. They displaced {{convert|15358|LT|t}} at normal load and {{convert|17820|LT|t|0}} at deep load. ''Lord Nelson'' had a [[metacentric height]] of {{convert|5.27|ft|m|1}} at extra deep load.<ref>Burt, pp. 319, 321</ref> The ''Lord Nelson'' class "proved good [[seaboat]]s and steady gun platforms, with excellent manoeuvrabiling qualities."<ref>Parkes, p. 454</ref> Their crew numbered 749–756 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]] in peacetime and averaged 800 men during the war.<ref name=b9/>

The ships were powered by a pair of four-cylinder inverted vertical [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion steam engines]], each driving one four-bladed, {{convert|15|ft|m|adj=on}} [[propeller|screw]], using steam provided by fifteen [[water-tube boiler]]s that operated at a pressure of {{convert|275|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}. The boilers were trunked into two [[funnel (ship)|funnels]] located [[amidships]]. The engines, rated at {{convert|16750|ihp|lk=on}}, were intended to give a maximum speed of {{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}, but both ships slightly exceeded their design speed, reaching {{convert|18.5|-|18.7|kn}} during their [[sea trials]]. The ''Lord Nelson''s were the first British battleships to be built with [[fuel oil]] sprayers to increase the burn rate of the coal. They carried a maximum of {{convert|2170|-|2193|LT|t|0}} of coal and an additional {{convert|1048|-|1090|LT|t|0}} of fuel oil in tanks in their [[double bottom]]. At a cruising speed of {{convert|10|kn}}, the ships had a range of {{convert|5390|nmi|lk=in}} burning only coal and {{convert|9180|nmi|abbr=on}} using coal and oil.<ref>Burt, pp. 319, 324–325</ref>

===Armament===
[[File:HMS Agamemnon (1906) 12-inch gun replacement at Malta 1915.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left |''Agamemnon'' has her main guns replaced at [[Malta]], May–June 1915]]
The main armament of the ''Lord Nelson''-class ships consisted of four 45-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[List of British ordnance terms#BL|breech-loading (BL)]] [[BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun|12-inch Mark X guns]] in a pair of twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the [[superstructure]]. The guns had a maximum [[elevation (ballistics)|elevation]] of +13.5° which gave them a range of {{convert|16450|yd|m|0}}. They fired {{convert|850|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} projectiles at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2746|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} at a rate of two [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]] per minute.<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 59–61.</ref> The ships carried 80 shells per gun.<ref name=b9>Burt, p. 319</ref>

Their [[secondary armament]] consisted of ten 50-calibre [[BL 9.2-inch Mk XI naval gun|BL 9.2-inch Mk XI guns]]. They were mounted in four twin-gun turrets positioned at the corners of the superstructure and a pair of single-gun turrets amidships. The guns were limited to an elevation of +15° which gave their {{convert|380|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} shells a range of {{convert|16200|yd|m}}. They had a muzzle velocity of {{cvt|2875|ft/s|m/s}} and a maximum [[rate of fire]] of four rounds per minute.<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 72–73</ref> Each gun was provided with 100 rounds.<ref name=b9/> For defence against [[torpedo boat]]s, the ships carried two dozen 50-calibre [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|quick-firing (QF)]] [[QF 12-pounder 18 cwt naval gun|12-pounder ({{cvt|3|in|mm|0}}) 18 cwt guns]]<ref group=Note>"Cwt" is the abbreviation for [[hundredweight]], 18 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.</ref> in single mounts in the superstructure.<ref>Burt, pp. 319–320</ref> At an elevation of +20°, their {{cvt|2660|ft/s|m/s}} muzzle velocity gave the guns a range of {{cvt|9300|yd|m}} with their {{convert|12.5|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} projectiles.<ref>Friedman 2011, pp. 112–113</ref> The ships were also fitted with 10 [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|QF 3-pounder ({{cvt|47|mm|in|1}})]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s, two in the superstructure and the others on the turret roofs.<ref>Friedman 2019, p. 416</ref> They were equipped with five submerged [[British 18 inch torpedo|18-inch (450&nbsp;mm) torpedo]] tubes, two on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] and one in the stern,<ref>{{cite web |title=Lord Nelson Class Battleship (1906) |url=http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Lord_Nelson_Class_Battleship_(1906) |website=www.dreadnoughtproject.org |publisher=The Dreadnought Project |access-date=28 June 2019}}</ref> and carried 23 torpedoes for them.<ref name=b9/>

===Armour===
[[File:HMS Lord Nelson 1906 midel section-EN.svg|thumb|Cross-section [[amidships]] showing the armor layout]]
The ''Lord Nelson''s{{'}} armour scheme was derived from that of the ''King Edward VII'' class, although the vertical armour was generally thicker and the deck armour slightly thinner. The [[waterline]] [[armor belt|main belt]] was composed of [[Krupp armour|Krupp cemented armour]] (KCA) 12-inches thick, although it thinned to {{convert|6|in|0}} at its lower edge. It was {{convert|7|ft|m|1}} high of which {{convert|5|ft|1}} was below the waterline at normal load. The thickest portion of the belt extended for approximately {{convert|190|ft|m|1}} amidships, from the rear of the forward 12-inch barbette to abreast the rear main-gun barbette. It was {{convert|4|in|0}} thick from there to the stern while the portion abreast the forward barbette was {{convert|9|in|0}} thick and then reduced to 6 inches to the [[bow (ship)|bow]]. Below the belt at the [[stem (ship)|stem]], a {{convert|2|in|mm|0|adj=on}} [[strake]] of armour projected downwards to support the ship's plow-type [[naval ram|ram]]. The middle strake consisted of {{convert|8|in|mm|0|adj=on}} armour plates; it continued forward to the bow, albeit in 6- then 4-inch thicknesses. Aft it terminated in an oblique 8-inch [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]] that connected the armour to the aft barbette. The upper strake of armour was also 8 inches thick, but only covered the area between the main-gun barbettes with oblique bulkheads of the same thickness connecting the side armour to the barbettes to form the [[armoured citadel]].<ref>Burt, pp. 324–325</ref>

The main gun turret faces and sides were 12 inches thick and their roofs were protected by 3- and 4-inch plates. Their barbettes also had 12 inches of armour on their external faces down to the main deck. Below this the forward barbette's armour reduced to 8 inches down to the middle deck while the aft barbette retained its full thickness down to the middle deck. The inner faces of the barbettes were 3 or 4 inches thick for the forward barbette and 3 inches thick for the aft barbette. The 9.2-inch gun turret faces had 8-inch armour plating, their sides were {{convert|7|in|mm|0}} thick and they had 2-inch thick roofs. The turrets sat on 6-inch thick armoured bases and their ammunition hoists were protected by 2-inch armoured tubes.<ref name=bp>Burt, p. 325; Parkes, p. 452</ref>

The upper deck over the citadel was {{convert|0.75|in|mm|0}} thick and the main deck forward of the citadel to the bow had a thickness of {{convert|1.5|in|mm|0}} inches. The middle deck inside the citadel was {{convert|1|in|mm|0}} thick on the flat, but 2 inches thick where it sloped downwards to meet the bottom edge of the waterline belt. The lower deck was 4 inches thick where it sloped upwards to meet the bases of the main-gun barbettes, but was otherwise 1 inch thick forward of the citadel. Aft it ranged in thickness from 2 inches on the flat and 3 inches on the slope to protect the steering gear.<ref name=bp/> The forward [[conning tower]] was protected by 12 inches of armour on its sides and it had a 3-inch roof. The aft conning tower had 3-inch armour plates all around. The ''Lord Nelson''s were the first British ships fitted with unpierced watertight bulkheads for all main compartments with access gained by using [[elevator|lifts]]. In service the inconvenience of this feature for the crew, especially in the [[engine room|engine]] and [[Fire room|boiler rooms]], led to its abandonment in the next generation of battleships.<ref>Burt, pp. 321, 324–325; Parkes, p. 452</ref>

Naval historian R. A. Burt assessed the greatest weaknesses of their armour scheme as the waterline belt being submerged at deep load and the reduction in the thickness of the barbette armour below the upper deck. He believed that this made the ships' [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s vulnerable to [[plunging fire]] from long range.<ref>Burt, p. 321</ref>

===Modifications===
[[File:Agamemnon's 3-pounder AA gun.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|''Agamemnon''{{'}}s 3-pounder Hotchkiss gun on a high-angle mount on the [[quarterdeck]]]]
Modifications to the sisters before 1920 were relatively minor. In 1909 the number of 3-pounders was reduced to four in ''Agamemnon'' and two in ''Lord Nelson''. In 1910–1911 a rangefinder was installed of the roof of the forward turret in both ships and another was added to the [[Top (sailing ship)|spotting top]] in ''Agamemnon''. The following year ''Lord Nelson'' had her spotting top modified to accommodate one as well. In 1913–1914 the ship had an additional rangefinder added to her [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]]. The remaining 3-pounders were removed from the ships in 1914–1915 as were the rooftop and bridge rangefinders. A pair of 12-pounders were removed from the after superstructure in exchange for a pair of 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns on high-angle mounts. In 1916–1917, four 12-pounders were removed from the forward superstructure in ''Agamemnon'' while ''Lord Nelson'' only lost two. That ship lost two more from her aft superstructure in 1918.<ref>Burt, pp. 326–327</ref>

Early in 1919 the Admiralty decided that the Navy needed a radio-controlled target ship to properly train gunnery officers. It conducted tests to evaluate the effectiveness of {{convert|15|in|adj=on}} shells on armour plates as thick as the typical pre-dreadnought deck armour. At an equivalent range of {{convert|25230|yd|m}}, the plates were completely destroyed and the Admiralty realized that 15-inch shells would do much the same to any of the surplus early dreadnoughts. It then limited all gunnery practice against the target ships to a maximum of 6-inch shells. ''Agamemnon'' was selected as the target ship in 1920 and was modified to suit her new role, including the installation of [[Wireless telegraphy|wireless equipment]]. She was disarmed and her 9.2-inch gun turrets were removed, but not her main-gun turrets. Most of her internal openings were plated over and much internal equipment was removed. Concerned about her stability with the loss of a lot of topweight, {{convert|1000|LT|t|0}} of [[ballast]] were added low in the ship and ''Agamemnon'' was [[Inclining test|inclined]] to measure her stability. With a displacement of {{convert|14185|LT|t}}, the ship had a metacentric height of {{convert|8.56|ft|m|1}}.<ref>Burt, pp. 328–329</ref>

==Ships==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
!scope="col"| Name
!scope="col"| Builder<ref name="fighting40">Roberts, p. 40</ref>
!scope="col"| [[Laid down]]<ref name="fighting40"/>
!scope="col"| [[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]<ref name="fighting40"/>
!scope="col"| [[Ship commissioning|Commissioned]]<ref name=b12>Burt, pp. 331–332</ref>
!scope="col"| Fate<ref name=b2>Burt, p. 332</ref>
!scope="col"|Cost (including armament)<ref>Parkes, p. 451</ref>
|-
|scope="row"|{{HMS|Lord Nelson|1906|2}}
|[[Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company|Palmers]], [[Jarrow]]
|18 May 1905
|4 September 1906
|1 December 1908
|Sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]], 4 June 1920
|[[pound sterling|£]]1,651,339
|-
|scope="row"|{{HMS|Agamemnon|1906|2}}
|[[William Beardmore and Company|Beardmore]], [[Dalmuir]]
|15 May 1905
|23 June 1906
|25 June 1908
|Sold for scrap, 1927
|£1,652,347
|}

==Service history==
[[File:Dardanelles defences 1915.png|thumb|Map of the Dardanelles and its defences]]
Construction of the ships was seriously delayed when their main-gun turrets were transferred to HMS ''Dreadnought'', then under construction, to allow her to be finished more quickly.<ref>McBride, p. 72</ref> Both ships commissioned in 1908, the last pre-dreadnoughts in the Royal Navy to do so, and were assigned to the Home Fleet until 1914. ''Lord Nelson'' became flagship of the vice-admiral commanding the [[Nore Division]] of the Home Fleet at the beginning of 1909, but became a [[private ship]] in early 1914. After the First World War began later that year, the sisters were assigned to the Channel Fleet, with ''Lord Nelson'' becoming the fleet flagship. The fleet was initially tasked with covering the passage of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] across the [[English Channel]]. Both ships were transferred to the Mediterranean in 1915 to support Allied forces in the Dardanelles Campaign and to help blockade the [[Germany|German]] [[battlecruiser]] {{SMS|Goeben||2}}. ''Lord Nelson'' became flagship of the Dardanelles Squadron, later redesignated as the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron in January 1916 and then the Aegean Squadron in August 1917, a few months after her arrival.<ref name=b12/>

[[File:HMS Agamemnon (1906) 9.2-inch gun firing on Sedd el Bahr 4 March 1915.jpg|thumb|''Agamemnon'' fires her 9.2-inch guns at [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] forts at [[Sedd el Bahr]], 4 March 1915]]
The sisters participated in numerous bombardments of Turkish forts and positions between their arrival in February and May during which they were slightly damaged by Turkish guns. ''Agamemnon'' was withdrawn to Malta for repairs that lasted several months while ''Lord Nelson'' was repaired locally. After the evacuation of [[Gallipoli]] at the beginning of 1916 they were assigned to the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron which was tasked to guard against a breakout attempt by ''Goeben'' and ''Breslau'', now transferred to the [[Ottoman Navy]] and renamed ''Yavûz Sultân Selîm'' and ''Mdilli'', respectively, support the Allied forces in the [[Macedonian front]] and defend the various Greek islands occupied by the Allies. ''Lord Nelson'' was mostly based in [[Thessaloniki|Salonica]], Greece, while ''Agamemnon'' was mainly based at [[Mudros]] on the island of [[Lemnos]], although they sometimes alternated. The latter ship shot down the German [[Zeppelin]] ''LZ85'' during a bombing mission over Salonica in mid-1916. When ''Yavuz Sultan Selim'' and ''Midilli'' attempted to sortie into the Mediterranean at the beginning of 1918, neither battleship was able to reach [[Imbros]] before the Ottoman ships sank the two [[monitor (warship)|monitor]]s based there during the [[Battle of Imbros]]. While heading towards Mudros, the ships entered a [[minefield]]; ''Midilli'' sank after striking multiple mines and ''Yavuz Sultan Selim'' struck several, but was able to withdraw back to the Dardanelles.<ref name=b12/>

On 30 October 1918 the [[Ottoman Empire]] signed the Armistice of Mudros on board ''Agamemnon'' and she participated in the occupation of Constantinople the following month. ''Agamemnon'' remained there until she returned home in March 1919, while ''Lord Nelson'' spent a short time in the [[Black Sea]] before returning two months later. Both ships were reduced to reserve upon their arrival. ''Lord Nelson'' was sold for scrap in June 1920, but ''Agamemnon'' was converted into a radio-controlled target ship in 1920–1921. She was sold for scrap in her turn in early 1927, the last surviving British pre-dreadnought.<ref name=b12/>

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

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=David K.|title=Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860–1905 |year=1997|publisher=Chatham Publishing|location=London |isbn=1-84067-529-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Burt|first=R. A.|title=British Battleships 1889–1904|year=2013|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-065-8|edition=2nd}}
* {{cite book|last=Dodson|first=Aidan|title=Before the Battlecruiser: The Big Cruiser in the World's Navies 1865-1910|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2018|isbn=978-1-47389216-3}}
*{{cite book|last1=Friedman|first1=Norman|title=The British Battleship 1906–1946|date=2015 |publisher= Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-225-7|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7}} 
* {{cite book|last=McBride|first=Keith|editor=Jordan, John|publisher=Conway|location=London|year=2005 |title=Warship 2005|isbn=1-84486-003-5|chapter=Lord Nelson and Agamemnon|pages=66–72}}
* {{cite book|last=Parkes|first=Oscar|title=British Battleships|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1990|edition=reprint of the 1957|isbn=1-55750-075-4}}
* {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor-last1=Gardiner|editor-first1=Robert|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|last1=Roberts|first1=John|chapter=Great Britain (including Empire Forces)|pages=[https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2/page/1 1–113]|url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2/page/1}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|Lord Nelson class battleship}}
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/battleships/lord_nelson_class.htm MaritimeQuest Lord Nelson Class Overview]
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/pre-dreadnought/hms-lord-nelson.html World War 1 Naval Combat]

{{Lord Nelson class battleship}}
{{WWI British ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord Nelson Class Battleship}}
[[Category:Battleship classes]]
[[Category:Lord Nelson-class battleships| ]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of the United Kingdom]]