HMS Centurion (1911)

A postcard of Centurion under way, about 1913
History
United Kingdom
Name	Centurion
Namesake	Roman centurion
Builder	HM Dockyard, Devonport
Laid down	16 January 1911
Launched	18 November 1911
Commissioned	22 May 1913
Decommissioned	1924
Reclassified	As a target ship, 1927
Fate	Sunk as a Mulberry harbour blockship off Normandy, 7 June 1944
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	King George V-class dreadnought battleship
Displacement	25,420 long tons (25,830 t) (normal)
Length	597 ft 9 in (182.2 m) (o/a)
Beam	89 ft 1 in (27.2 m)
Draught	28 ft 8 in (8.7 m)
Installed power	27,000 shp (20,000 kW) 18 × Yarrow boilers
Propulsion	4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range	6,310 nmi (11,690 km; 7,260 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	862 (1913)
Armament	5 × twin 13.5 in (343 mm) guns 16 × single 4 in (102 mm) guns 3 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 12 in (305 mm) Deck: 1–4 in (25–102 mm) Turrets: 11 in (280 mm) Barbettes: 10 in (254 mm)

HMS Centurion was the second of four King George V-class dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Navy in the early 1910s. She spent the bulk of her career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. Aside from participating in the failed attempt to intercept the German ships that had bombarded Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in late 1914, and the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, her service during the First World War generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea.

By the end of 1919, Centurion had been transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet. Although she spent much of her time in reserve, she had a peripheral role in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. After her return home in 1924, the ship became the flagship of the Reserve Fleet. In 1926 Centurion was converted into a target ship and participated in trials evaluating the effectiveness of aerial bombing in addition to her normal duties. During the Second World War, the ship was rearmed with light weapons and was converted into a blockship in 1941. When that operation was cancelled, she was then modified into a decoy with dummy gun turrets in an attempt to fool the Axis powers. Centurion was sent to the Mediterranean in 1942 to escort a convoy to Malta, although the Italians quickly figured out the deception. The ship was deliberately sunk during the Invasion of Normandy in 1944 to form a breakwater.