HMS King Alfred (1901)

	King Alfred during the First World War
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS King Alfred
Namesake	Alfred the Great, King of Wessex
Builder	Vickers Limited, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	11 August 1899
Launched	28 October 1901
Christened	Countess of Lathom
Completed	22 December 1903
Fate	Sold for scrap, 30 January 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	Drake-class armoured cruiser
Displacement	14,150 long tons (14,380 t) (normal)
Length	533 ft 6 in (162.6 m) (o/a)
Beam	71 ft 4 in (21.7 m)
Draught	26 ft (7.9 m)
Installed power	30,000 ihp (22,000 kW); 43 Belleville boilers;
Propulsion	2 × shafts; 2 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines;
Speed	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Complement	900
Armament	2 × single BL 9.2-inch Mk X guns; 16 × single BL 6-inch Mk VII guns; 12 × single QF 12-pdr 12-cwt guns; 3 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns; 2 × single 18-inch torpedo tubes;
Armour	Belt: 2–6 in (51–152 mm); Decks: 1–2.5 in (25–64 mm); Barbettes: 6 in (152 mm); Turrets: 6 in (150 mm); Conning tower: 12 in (305 mm); Bulkheads: 5 in (127 mm);

HMS King Alfred was one of four Drake-class armoured cruisers built for the Royal Navy around 1900. She served as flagship of the China Station from 1906 until relieved in 1910. Upon her return home that year, she was placed in reserve before being recommissioned in mid-1914. She was assigned to the 6th Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet at the beginning of World War I. She was transferred to the 9th Cruiser Squadron in 1915 and assigned to convoy protection duties by the end of the year. King Alfred participated in the unsuccessful searches for the German commerce raider SMS Möwe in 1916–17 before beginning to escort convoys later that year. The ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1918, but returned to service. She was sold for scrap in 1920.

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