HMS Agincourt

[Conte_Vincero]

This Beastie is one of my favourite ships of all time, purely because of it's history and oddball factor, I shall attempt to explain why.

In the early 1900s Brazil, Argentina and Chille were engaged in a naval arms race, with each trying to out build the others. In an attempt to go a step ahead of the others, in Brazil ordered the 32,000 ton Rio de Janeiro from Armstrong. This massive ship packed 14 12" guns, and 20 6" guns. However such was the speed of development that soon other ships, in particular the Chilean Valparaiso  outclassed it by virtue of their bigger guns. This, and the collapse of the Brazilian rubber boom meant that in 1913 Brazil sold the ship (which was still uncompleted) to Turkey, and she was re-named the Sultan Osman I. She was completed shortly before the first world war, but with Turkey having already made its intentions to fight with the central powers, her delivery was delayed until the start of war, whereupon she was seized by the Royal Navy and commissioned in 1915 as HMS Agincourt. after a few alterations. In the battle of Jutland, her captain insisted on firing full 14 gun broadsides, despite it previously having been claimed that doing so would strain her hull. Apparently some people who saw the flash, mistook it for a battlecruiser blowing up. She served very well in the first World war, but was sold in 1922 and scrapped in 1924.

 

A random fact is that she was built with Turkish toilets, which the sailors found a bit disconcerting.

 

 

 

[Nesher]

Another fun fact is that, as her interiors were above the standard usually found on RN battleships, she got the nickname "The Gin Palace" (or alternatively, and closer to her real name, "A Gin Court"). I would definitly drive this thing if it makes it to the release, if not for nothing else, then for its fascinating history!