HMS Natal

	HMS Natal
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Natal
Namesake	Colony of Natal
Builder	Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	January 1904
Launched	30 September 1905
Christened	by Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Completed	5 March 1907
Nickname(s)	Sea Hearse
Fate	Vessel exploded at Cromarty Firth, 30 December 1915
General characteristics
Class and type	Warrior-class armoured cruiser
Displacement	13,550 long tons (13,770 t) (normal); 14,500 long tons (14,700 t) (deep load);
Length	505 ft 4 in (154.0 m)
Beam	73 ft 6 in (22.4 m)
Draught	27 ft 6 in (8.4 m) (maximum)
Installed power	23,650 ihp (17,640 kW); 19 Yarrow water-tube boilers and 6 cylindrical boilers;
Propulsion	2 shafts, 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Range	7,960 nmi (14,740 km; 9,160 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	712
Armament	6 × 1 - BL 9.2-inch (234 mm) Mk X guns; 4 × 1 - BL 7.5-inch (191 mm) Mk II or Mk V guns; 26 × 1 - Vickers QF 3-pounder (47 mm) guns; 3 × 1 - submerged 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes;
Armour	Belt: 3–6 in (76–152 mm); Decks: 0.75–1.5 in (19–38 mm); Barbettes: 3–6 in (76–152 mm); Turrets: 4.5–7.5 in (110–190 mm); Conning tower: 10 in (250 mm); Bulkheads: 2–6 in (51–152 mm);

HMS Natal was a Warrior-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She escorted the royal yacht in 1911–1912 for the newly crowned King George V's trip to India to attend the Delhi Durbar. During World War I the ship was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, but did not participate in any battles. Natal was sunk by an internal explosion near Cromarty on 30 December 1915 with the loss of at least 390 crewmen and civilians. Most of her wreck was slowly salvaged over the decades until the remnants were demolished in the 1970s so they were no longer a hazard to navigation. The remains of her wreck are designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 as a war grave.

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