page_title: HMS Lord Nelson (1906)
section_title: Dardanelles campaign, 1915–1916
hierarchical_section_title: HMS Lord Nelson (1906) / Service history / First World War / Dardanelles campaign, 1915–1916
caption_attribution_description: English: HMS Lord Nelson and HMS Agamemnon anchored in the Dardanelles in 1915
context_page_description: HMS Lord Nelson was a Lord Nelson-class pre-dreadnought battleship launched in 1906 and completed in 1908. She was the Royal Navy's last pre-dreadnought. The ship was flagship of the Channel Fleet when the First World War began in 1914. Lord Nelson was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea in early 1915 to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign. She remained there, becoming flagship of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron, which was later redesignated the Aegean Squadron. After the Ottoman surrender in 1918 the ship moved to the Black Sea where she remained as flagship before returning to the United Kingdom in May 1919. Lord Nelson was placed into reserve upon her arrival and sold for scrap in June 1920.
context_section_description: In February 1915, Lord Nelson was ordered to the Dardanelles to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign.  She departed Portland on 18 February and joined the British Dardanelles Squadron at Mudros eight days later. She took part in the bombardment of the inner forts and supported the initial landings in early March. The Ottoman Turkish forts engaged her heavily on 7 March and hit her several times, including by a stone cannonball which landed on the deck and was kept as a souvenir by the Flag Officer, Arthur Baker, at Longcross Church; she suffered damage to her superstructure and rigging and was holed by one hit below the waterline which flooded two coal bunkers. After repairs at Malta, the ship returned to take part in the main attack on the Narrows forts on 18 March. Later she bombarded Ottoman field batteries on 6 May prior to the Second Battle of Krithia.
  Lord Nelson relieved the battleship Queen Elizabeth as flagship of the British Dardanelles Squadron on 12 May, flying the flag of Vice-Admiral Rosslyn Erskine-Wemyss. On 20 June, she bombarded docks and shipping at Gallipoli, aided by the spotting of a kite balloon, and inflicted significant damage. Lord Kitchener made his headquarters aboard her in November and, on 22 December, Lord Nelson hoisted the flag of Vice-Admiral John de Robeck when he succeeded Wemyss.
caption: Lord Nelson anchored at the Dardanelles in 1915. Her sister ship Agamemnon is anchored behind her.
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