HMS Dreadnought was built at Portsmouth Dockyard and was launched on 10th February 1906. The 18,100 ton vessel, named after a ship that served in the Battle of Trafalgar, was the fastest and heaviest armed ship of its kind in the world of the time sporting five two-gun turrets. The ship sparked something of an ‘arms race’ as other countries raced to produce a ship with the same firing capability.
After her launch the Dreadnought was trialled in the Mediterranean before sailing to Trinidad. On return to Portsmouth in 1907 she became the flagship for the Home Fleet.
When World War One broke out in 1914 Dreadnought was the flagship of the 4th Battle Squadron located in the North Sea. On 18th March she rammed and sank a German U-29 submarine and remains the only battleship to have ever sank a submarine. In May 1916 she was transferred to the 3rd Battle Squadron which was based in the Thames and missed the only significant naval battle of World War One the inconclusive Battle of Jutland.
In July 1918 she was taken out of service due to being in poor condition and put in reserve. In March 1920 she was put up for sale and was sold for scrap on 9th May 1921.
