HMS Powerful (1895)

HMS "Powerful" was a ship of the "Powerful"-class of armoured cruiser in the Royal Navy.

Career

She was built by Vickers Limited, Barrow-in-Furness and launched on July 24 1895 by the Duchess of Devonshire. [Bronze medallion showing on the obverse a ship and the words 'H.M.S. "POWERFUL"'. The reverse bears the words 'H.M.S. POWERFUL LENGTH 500 FEET 2500 HORSE POWER LAUNCHED BY HER GRACE THE DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE AT BARROW IN FURNESS 24TH JULY 1895 THIS MEDAL IS MADE OF BRONZE FROM H.M.S. POWERFUL'. Medallion held by the Australian War Memorial - image reference ID Number: REL/09940]

She served with her sister ship, HMS "Terrible" on the China Station and provided landing parties which fought in the relief of the Siege of Ladysmith in the Second Boer War. Crews from the two ships also took part in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in China. After 1904 they were laid up as an economy measure. In 1897 Captain Hedworth Lambton commanded HMS "Powerful", which was one of the largest warships of the time, on a posting to China. On the return voyage in 1899 he was ordered to Durban, South Africa at an important point in the Second Boer War. He stopped at Mauritius, and on his own initiative picked up a battalion of soldiers stationed there. Knowing that the British forces at Ladysmith urgently needed more powerful guns, Captain Percy Scott from the "Powerful's" sister ship, the "Terrible", devised carriages to transport naval cannon, and Lambton then led a Naval Brigade from "Powerful" to the rescue with four twelve-pounders and two other guns.

The journey to Ladysmith from Durban was 189 miles. They began by special train then with oxen pulling the guns but when the oxen died the sailors took over pulling the guns themselves. In this endeavour they manhandled the guns "through the wild and broken country" of the South African veldt and "arrived in the nick of time" to play "a most important role in the defence of the town" Although the Boer attackers were kept at bay unfortunately the Naval brigade became besieged themselves. A second Naval brigade from HMS "Terrible" left Durban for Ladysmith and joined with the relief column led by General Buller and assisted in the lifitng of the siege. [cite web | url = http://www.faafieldgun.org/history.html | title = A brief history of Field Gunning | publisher = Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association | accessdate = 2008-03-19]

The field gun competition commemorates the participation of "Terrible" and"Powerful" in the relief of Ladysmith. [cite web| url = http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_gun_run.htm | title = The Field Gun Run | work = Naval Traditions | publisher = Royal Naval Museum Library | year = 2000 | accessdate = 2008-03-19]

* 25 November 1899 - The Naval Brigade from HMS "Powerful" fought in the Battle of Graspan against the Boers in South Africa.cite web|url = http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~ausnavy/Military%20Action.htm|title = Naval Military Actions|publisher = ancestry.com | accessdate = 2008-03-19]
* 6 January 1900 - The Naval Brigade from HMS "Powerful" repulsed a strong Boer attack at Ladysmith.
* 30 October 1900 - The Naval Brigade of HMS "Powerful" attacked Boer positions at Lombards Kop, Ladysmith.

The enthusiastic response in Britain to the "heroes of Ladysmith" [ [http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/ILN_1899-1900/Powerful.html "Illustrated London News"] and elsewhere] was enormous and made Captain Hedworth Lambton a well-known public figure. Queen Victoria sent a telegram saying, "Pray express to the Naval Brigade my deep appreciation of the valuable services they have rendered with their guns." [ [http://www.rncom.mod.uk/organisations/MWS/mws_comp_history.cfm Navy website] ] while a reception and celebratory march through London were among the first events ever recorded on film. [ [http://www.bfi.org.uk/nftva/catalogues/film/2/14/385 The Heroes of Ladysmith Marching Through London] and [http://www.imdb.com/company/co0103009/ The Queen's Reception to the Heroes of Ladysmith] ]

A newspaper described the "Powerful's" return home:"As the great vessel steamed into Portsmouth Harbour at four o'clock this afternoon, she was greeted with thunders of applause .... vessels lying off here were dressed with flags, and their crews, swarming along the yards, swelled the roar of welcome......By three o'clock the jetty was thronged with men, women and children. ... A more eager, joyous gathering I never saw.....We cheered, we waved hats and handkerchiefs and we were half wild with delight." [ [http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/city-centre/powerful.htm "Memorials & Monuments in Portsmouth City Centre" quoting the "Daily News"] ] Lambton was awarded the CB, and it was in this year that his caricature was published in "Vanity Fair".

In August 1905 Captain Lionel Halsey took command of HMS "Powerful", [LondonGazette|issue=27922|startpage=4157|date=15 June 1906|accessdate=2007-12-18| "Information, dated 12th April, 1906, has been received from Captain L. Halsey, His Majesty's ship Powerful, that ... " ] [LondonGazette|issue=27950|startpage=6326|date=18 September 1906|accessdate=2007-12-18 "Information, dated 26th July, 1906, has been received from Captain L. Halsey, His Majesty's ship Powerful, that ... "] as flag captain to Sir Wilmot Hawkes as Commander-in-Chief Australia Station. At the time the "Powerful" was commissioning as Flagship on the Australia Station. [cite web|url = http://www.navyhistory.org.au/admiral-sir-lionel-halsey-gcmg-gcvo-kcie-cb-dljp-1872-1949/|title = Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, GCMG, GCVO, KCIE, CB, DLJP 1872-1949 | last = Grazebrook |first = Lieutenant Commander A. W. | publisher = Naval Historical Society of Australia | accessdate = 2008-03-19] Halsey remained in that post until 1908. [cite web|url = http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/HALSEY.shtml |title = HALSEY, Sir Lionel (1872-1949), Admiral |publisher = Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives |accessdate = 2008-03-19]

At the beginning of December 1905, "Powerful" was at Fremantle in Western Australia. [cite web | url = http://innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b1770389 | title = HMS Powerful at Fremantle, 1 December 1905 [picture] | publisher = State Library of Western Australia | accessdate = 2008-03-19]

On February 31908 the first trans-Tasman radio transmission was made via HMS "Powerful" which was in the Tasman Sea. [cite web| url = http://www.caslon.com.au/austelecomsprofile1.htm |title = Australasian telecommunications: beginnings | publisher = Caslon Analytics | date = 2005 | accessdate = 2008-03-18]

A "Sydney Morning Herald" journalist, Charles Bean joined the ship in August 1908 as special correspondent to report the visit of sixteen American warships — the Great White Fleet. At the time "Powerful" was flagship of the Royal Navy squadron on the Australian Station. Bean wrote a book, "With the Flagship in the South" (London, 1909), based on his reports, with photographs, drawings and a water-colour frontispiece by the author, and had it published at his own expense. [Australian Dictionary of Biography |last= Inglis |first= K.S. |authorlink= Ken Inglis |year= 1979 |id= A070225b |title= Bean, Charles Edwin Woodrow (1879 - 1968) |accessdate= 2008-03-19]

In 1911 HMS "Powerful" visited Auckland, New Zealand to inspect the facilities and recommended the setting up of a Naval Store Organisation. [cite web|url = http://www.rnzncomms.net.nz/navy/documents/history/navalrepairfacilities.html|title = DEVELOPMENT OF NAVAL REPAIR FACILITIES AT AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND 1841-1962 From a Lecture by J.A. Bell, AMRINA Deputy Constructive Manager HMNZ Dockyard Devonport| last = Bell | first = J. A. | date = 1962 | accessdate = 2008-03-19 | publisher = RNZN Communicators' Association]

During World War I, "Powerful" and "Terrible" had most of their armament removed and served a troop transports and later accommodation ships.

After the end of the war, "Powerful" was renamed "Impregnable" in November 1919 and converted to a training ship. After ten years of this, she was sold on August 31 1929 for breaking up.

References

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