HMS Magnificent (1894)

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Career

Laid down:	18 December 1893
Launched:	19 December 1894
Commissioned:	December 1895
Decommissioned:	9 May 1921
Status:	Scrapped, Inverkeithing, from 1921
General Characteristics
Displacement:	14,900 tons
Length:	390 ft (119 m)
Beam:	75 ft (23 m)
Draught:	27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion:	oil and coal, triple expansion, 10,000 hp (7.5 MW)
Speed:	13 knots (24 km/h)
Range:	4,700 miles at 10 knots (7560 km at 19 km/h)
Complement:	675
Armament:	2 × 12 inch (300 mm) guns 12 × 6 inch (200 mm) guns 16 × 12 pounders 12 × 3 pounders

HMS Magnificent was one of the nine Majestic-class battleships of the Royal Navy (RN). Her sisters were Majestic, Caesar, Hannibal, Illustrious, Jupiter, Mars, Prince George, and Victorious.

Magnificent was laid down on 18 December 1893 at Chatham Dockyard. She was launched on 19 December 1894 and completed in December 1895.

At the start of World War I, Magnificent formed the 9th Battle Squadron with sisters Hannibal, Mars, and Victorious. As these ships were then the oldest and least effective battleships in service in the Royal Navy, the 9th Battle Squadron was soon dispersed and the ships used as guard ships.

In 1915, the main guns of Magnificent, Hannibal, Mars, and Victorious were removed for use in the General Wolfe-class monitors, and the battleships were put into service as troopships; Magnificent was used in this role in the Mediterranean from 1915 to 1917. In 1918–1919, Magnificent was an ammunition ship at Rosyth. She was sold for breaking up at Inverkeithing in May 1921.