HMS ''Blake'', named in honour of Admiral Robert Blake, was the lead ship of her class of

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

that served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

from 1889 to 1922. She was launched on 23 November 1889 at Chatham Dockyard, but not completed until 2 February 1892.

Service history

After service as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of the North America and West Indies Squadron from 1892 to 1895, ''Blake'' served in the Channel Fleet. In October 1900 she was employed as a temporary transport ship. She arrived at

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

on 2 January 1901 with the relieved crew of and invalids and prisoners from the

Mediterranean Station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a military formation, formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vita ...

. Later the same month she was sent to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

with Captain Thomas Philip Walker and a crew, to relieve the crew on , flagship of the

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, whose rank varied over t ...

. She returned to Plymouth with the former crew of ''Royal Arthur'' in June 1901, and was paid off at Devonport on 15 July 1901 to be refitted. She was later converted to a destroyer depot ship in 1907, serving through

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as depot ship to the 11th Destroyer Flotilla of the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from th ...

, and was finally sold for scrapping on 9 June 1922.

Notes

References

* * Roger Chesneau and Eugene M. Kolesnik, ed., ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905'', (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1979), * F.J. Dittmar & J. J. Colledge, ''British Warships 1914–1919'', (Ian Allan, London, 1972), * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake Blake-class cruisers Ships built in Chatham World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom 1889 ships