HMS Amphitrite (1898)
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 HMS Amphitrite in dazzle camouflage in 1918 after conversion to minelayer. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Amphitrite |
| Builder | Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Ltd, Barrow in Furness |
| Laid down | 8 December 1896 |
| Launched | 5 July 1898 |
| Christened | Mrs. Vickers |
| Reclassified | Minelayer in 1917 |
| Fate | Sold 12 April 1920 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 11,000 tons |
| Length | 435 ft (133 m) (462 ft 6 in (140.97 m) o/a) |
| Beam | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Draught | 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20–20.5 kn (37.0–38.0 km/h; 23.0–23.6 mph) |
| Complement | 760 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | |
HMS Amphitrite was a ship of the Diadem-class of protected cruisers in the Royal Navy, which served in the First World War.
Amphitrite was built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Ltd, at Barrow in Furness. She was laid down on 8 December 1896, and launched on 5 July 1898, when she was christened by Mrs. Vickers, wife of Thomas Vickers, Chairman of the shipbuilding company.[1] She was inspected at Chatham in February 1900, and passed into the Fleet Reserve.[2]
Pre-war service history
Amphitrite was commissioned at Chatham on 17 September 1901 to take out reliefs to the Mediterranean Station.[3] She left Sheerness on 28 September 1901 for Malta with a new crew for the battleship HMS Illustrious, which had undergone a refit.[4] Bringing back invalids from the garrisons at Malta and Gibraltar, she arrived in Plymouth to land them on 20 October 1901, then proceeded to Portsmouth.[5] The following month she was ordered to go to China with new crews for the despatch vessel HMS Alacrity and the draught steamer HMS Snipe.[6] She arrived at Hong Kong on 4 January 1902.[7] On her return she went ashore in the bay of Suez in early February,[8] but soon came loose and arrived home at Plymouth 21 February with crews from the China station.[9] She paid off on 20 March, but was recommissioned the following day for service on the China Station.[10]
China station
Amphitrite left Portsmouth for the China station on 6 May 1902,[11] bringing crew for the draught steamer HMS Robin, which was stationed at Hong Kong.[12] She arrived in Bombay on 30 June 1902, following a cruise in the Persian Gulf, during which she had made a long stop in Muscat. The largest warship thus far to visit the gulf, she drew much interest during the cruise.[13] She stopped in Colombo in mid-July, at Singapore in late July, and arrived at the station headquarters at Hong Kong on 1 August.[14]
