HMS Montagu (1901)

Montagu's sister ship HMS Albemarle
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Montagu
Namesake	Ralph Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Boughton, 1st Earl of Montagu
Builder	Devonport Dockyard
Laid down	23 November 1899
Launched	5 March 1901
Commissioned	28 July 1903
Fate	Wrecked on Lundy Island, 30 May 1906
General characteristics
Class and type	Duncan-class pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement	Normal: 13,270 to 13,745 long tons (13,483 to 13,966 t) Full load: 14,900 to 15,200 long tons (15,100 to 15,400 t)
Length	432 ft (132 m) (loa)
Beam	75 ft 6 in (23.01 m)
Draught	25 ft 9 in (7.85 m)
Installed power	18,000 ihp (13,000 kW) 24 × Belleville water-tube boilers
Propulsion	2 × triple-expansion steam engines 2 × screw propellers
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	6,070 nmi (11,240 km; 6,990 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	720
Armament	4 × 12-inch (305 mm) 40-caliber Mk IX guns 12 × 6-inch (152 mm) 45-calibre guns 10 × 12-pounder guns 6 × 3-pounder guns 4 × 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes (submerged)
Armour	Belt: 7 in (178 mm) Bulkheads: 11–7 in (279–178 mm) Decks: 2–1 in (51–25 mm) Turrets: 10–8 in (254–203 mm) Barbettes: 11–4 in (279–102 mm) Casemates: 6 in (152 mm) Conning tower: 12 in (305 mm)

HMS Montagu was a Duncan-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy. Built to counter a group of fast Russian battleships, Montagu and her sister ships were capable of steaming at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), making them the fastest battleships in the world. The Duncan-class battleships were armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and they were broadly similar to the London-class battleships, though of a slightly reduced displacement and thinner armour layout. As such, they reflected a development of the lighter second-class ships of the Canopus-class battleship. Montagu was built between her keel laying in November 1899 and her completion in July 1903. The ship had a brief career, serving for two years in the Mediterranean Fleet before transferring to the Channel Fleet in early 1905. During wireless telegraphy experiments in May 1906, she ran aground off Lundy Island. Repeated attempts to refloat the ship failed, and she proved to be a total loss. She was ultimately broken up in situ.