HMS Illustrious (1896)

Career	RN Ensign
Ordered:
Laid down:	11th March 1895
Launched:	17th September 1896
Commissioned:	10th May 1898
Decommissioned:	1919
Fate:	Scrapped 1920
Struck:
Specifications
Displacement:	14,900 tons
Length:	390 feet bp x 75ft x 26ft 6 inches (118.87m x 22.86m x 7.92m)
Armament:	4 x 12-inch BL guns 12 x 6-inch QF guns 18 x 12-pounder QF 12 x 3-pounder QF 5 x 18 inch TT
Propulsion:
Speed:	19.75 kts
Range:	?
Complement:	318

The third HMS Illustrious of the Royal Navy was a Majestic-class pre-dreadnought, launched in 1896.

She had a displacement of 14,900 tonnes and an armament of four 12-inch guns and twelve 6-inch guns. She served in the Channel Fleet from her commission into the Royal Navy to September 1908. She went into reserve and was transferred to the 3rd Fleet in 1912. At the outbreak of war in 1914 she was recommissioned as a guard-ship for Loch Aye, Lough Swilly, Tyne and the Humber, and 2 of her 12" guns were re-used in the Tyne Turrets. Due to obsolescence, she was used as an ammunition store ship for the remainder of the war, finally being scrapped in 1920.

See HMS Illustrious for other RN ships of the same name.

External link

*Maritimequest HMS Illustrious Photo Gallery