HMS ''Iphigenia'' was an

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 ...

of 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 ...

built on the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

and launched in 1891, spending her early years on the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

. When she became obsolete as a cruiser, she was converted as a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...

in 1907. Her service ended when she was sunk as a

blockship A blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used as a waterway. It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of at Portland ...

during the

Zeebrugge Raid The Zeebrugge Raid (; ) on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgium, Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The British intended to sink obsolete ships in the canal entrance, to prevent German vessels from leaving port. ...

on 23 April 1918.

History

Ordered under the

Naval Defence Act 1889 The Naval Defence Act 1889 ( 52 & 53 Vict. c. 8) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It received royal assent on 31 May 1889 and formally adopted the "two-power standard" and increased the United Kingdom's naval strength. The s ...

, ''Iphigenia'' was laid down in 1891 at the yard of the

London and Glasgow Shipbuilding Company London and Glasgow Shipbuilding Company, also known as the London and Glasgow Engineering and Iron Shipbuilding Company, was a shipbuilding firm established in 1864 by a consortium of London bankers, including the Glasgow engineer James Rodger. Th ...

. She was ordered with HMS Sutlej to monitor the Russian fleeting sailing through the

Singapore Strait The Singapore Strait is a , strait between the Strait of Malacca in the west and the South China Sea in the east. Singapore is on the north of the channel, and the Indonesian Riau Islands are on the south. The two countries share a maritime ...

on the way to the

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known in Japan as the , was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 27–28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait. A devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy, the ...

. They arrived too late to this although they did meet the Russian fleet the following day with Sutlej greeting them with a 17 gun salute. She returned from duty on the China Station in 1906. Along with a number of other ships of her class, as she became obsolete as a cruiser she was converted at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham, Kent, Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham, Kent, Gillingham; at its most extens ...

into a minelayer. This work was completed by August 1907. She was then based at Dover and Sheerness. In 1917 she was in use as a depot ship in the White Sea as part of the

British North Russia Squadron The British North Russia Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy based at Murmansk from 1917 to 1919. History The squadron was formed as part of an initiative by the Entente Powers to keep the Russian Empire in the First World War. One goa ...

. Along with and she was selected to be used as a

during the

. She was sunk at the entrance to the Bruges Canal to try to prevent its use by German U-boats. She was subsequently broken up when the canal was cleared. File:Aerial photograph after Zeebrugge Raid IWM Q 20648B.jpg, Aerial photograph showing the blockships sunk after the Zeebrugge Raid. HMS ''Iphigenia'' is second from left File:The Capture of Zeebrugge, October 1918 Q7148.jpg, Wrecks of ''Iphigenia'' and HMS ''Intrepid'' blocking the mouth of the Bruges Ship Canal at Zeebrugge, 24 October 1918.

References

Publications

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External links

*
HMS ''Iphigenia''
, Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels

at Naval-History.net Apollo-class cruisers Ships built on the River Clyde 1891 ships World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom {{UK-mil-ship-stub