HMS Renown ( 1895 ) HMS " Renown " was a second - class predreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the early 1890s . Intended to command cruiser squadron s operating on foreign stations , the ship served as the flagship of the North America and West Indies Station and the Mediterranean Fleet early in her career . Becoming obsolete as cruiser speeds increased , " Renown " became a royal yacht and had all of her secondary armament removed to make her more suitable for such duties . She became a stoker ' s training ship in 1909 and was listed for disposal in 1913 . The ship was sold for scrap in early 1914 . Design and description . Production of a new 12 - inch gun was behind schedule and the three battleships planned for the 1892 Naval Programme that were intended to use the new gun had to be delayed . In their stead , an improved design was chosen to keep the workers at Pembroke Dockyard fully employed . No formal requirement for a second - class battleship suitable for use as the flagship on foreign stations or to reinforce cruiser squadrons existed at the time , but the decision to build the ship was strongly influenced by the views of the Controller of the Navy , Rear Admiral John A . " Jackie " Fisher and the Director of Naval Intelligence , Captain Cyprian Bridge who favoured smaller ships with a smaller main armament and large secondary armament . They pressed for additional ship of this type as substitutes for the two other battleships originally programmed , but this was rejected by the Admiralty as there was no demand for additional second - class battleships . The Director of Naval Construction , William Henry White , submitted three designs in early April 1892 and the smallest one was chosen on 11 April . The design was quite innovative in several different ways . It was the first battleship to use Harvey armour , which allowed the secondary casemate s to be armoured , the first to use a sloping armour deck and the first to provide armoured shields over the main armament . General characteristics . " Renown " had an overall length of , a beam of , and a draught of at deep load . She displaced at normal load and at deep load . The ship had a metacentric height of at deep load . In 1903 , the crew numbered between 651 and 674 officers and enlisted men . She was considered to handle well by her captains and was a good sea - boat . In view of her intended duties abroad , her bottom was coppered to reduce biofouling . Propulsion . " Renown " was powered by two three - cylinder vertical triple - expansion steam engines , each driving a single propeller . Steam for the engines was provided by eight cylindrical boilers at a working pressure of . The engines were designed to produce a total of which was intended to allow her to reach a speed of . The engines proved to be more powerful than anticipated and " Renown " reached during sea trials under forced draught . The ship carried a maximum of of coal , enough to steam at . Armament . She was armed with four 40 - calibre , breech - loading 10 - inch Mk III guns in two twin - gun barbette s , one forward and one aft . Each gun was provided with 105 shells per gun . Her secondary armament consisted of ten QF ( quick - firing ) 6 - inch Mk II guns . Half a dozen of these guns were mounted in casemates on the sides of the hull and the remaining guns were mounted on the upper deck in casemates in the superstructure . Defence against torpedo boats was provided by a dozen QF 12 - pounder 12 - cwt guns . Eight of these were mounted on the upper deck amidships . They fired , shells at a muzzle velocity of . 200 rounds per gun were carried by each ship . " Renown " also carried eight QF 3 - pounder Hotchkiss guns . Each gun was provided with 500 rounds of ammunition . She had five 18 - inch torpedo tube s , one in the stern above water and two on each broadside underwater . Armour . The ship ' s armour was generally composed of Harvey steel and her waterline main belt was thick . It was long amidships and high of which was below the waterline at normal load . Fore and aft oblique bulkheads , and ] thick , connected the belt armour to the barbettes . The upper strake of six - inch armour was long and high . It covered the ship ' s side between the rear of the barbettes up to the level of the main deck . Oblique bulkheads six inches thick connected the upper armour to the barbettes . " Renown " was the first British battleship to be built with a sloped armoured deck behind the main belt as was commonly used on British protected cruiser s . The top of the protective deck was even with the top of the main armoured belt and sloped down at at 45° angle to meet the bottom of the belt . It was thick on the flat and on the slope and ran between the barbettes . Outside the barbettes , the lower deck was three inches thick and ran towards the ends of the ship . The barbettes were protected by armour plates . The gun turret s that protected the main armament were six inches thick on their face , with three - inch sides and a roof . They were initially built without a rear plate because of weight distribution problems with the turrets . The upper deck casemates were protected by plates on the front and sides , but the main deck casemates had six - inch faces and sides . The stern torpedo tube was protected by a mantlet three to six inches thick . The sides of the forward conning tower were thick while those of the rear conning tower were only three inches in thickness . Construction and career . " Renown " was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard on 1 February 1893 and launched on 8 May 1895 . She was completed in January 1897 at a cost of £751 , 206 , but then underwent lengthy sea trials that included the changing of her propeller blades that lasted until June . The ship commissioned on 8 June 1897 and served as flagship for the Commander - in - Chief , Vice Admiral Sir Nowell Salmon , VC , on 26 June , at the Fleet Review at Spithead for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria , with the Prince of Wales aboard . She was briefly attached to the 1st Division , of the Channel Squadron , from 7 to 12 July for manoeuvres off the south coast of Ireland . On 24 August , " Renown " once again became Fisher ' s flagship , relieving the protected cruiser " Crescent " as flagship of the North America and West Indies Station . The ship continued as such until beginning a refit in May 1899 . Upon completion of her refit in July , she transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet , once again becoming Fisher ' s flagship . A strong proponent of the design of " Renown " , Fisher also found her highly desirable for the hosting of the social events required of a flagship in peacetime . " Renown " also underwent a special refit at Malta from February to May 1900 to meet Fisher ' s requirements for her . This included the transfer of the main deck 12 - pounders to the superstructure . The ship recommissioned on 19 November 1900 , and served as flagship until Fisher ended his tour as Commander - in - Chief on 20 May 1902 , after which she continued to serve in the Mediterranean Fleet as a private ship . " Renown " participated in combined manoeuvres off Cephalonia and Morea between 29 September and 6 October 1902 . After the manoeuvres ended , she was detached from the Mediterranean Fleet and returned to the United Kingdom to be specially fitted out at Portsmouth to carry the Duke and Duchess of Connaught on a royal tour of India . These modifications included removal of the main deck six - inch guns . After the modifications , she was nicknamed the " Battleship Yacht . " " Renown " carried the Duke and Duchess on their royal tour of India from November 1902 to March 1903 . The ship rejoined the Mediterranean Fleet in April . In August , she relieved " Venerable " as flagship of the fleet so that the latter ship could undergo a refit . From 5 to 9 August 1903 , " Renown " participated in manoeuvres off the coast of Portugal . " Renown " was placed into reserve at Devon on 15 May 1904 , although she participated in manoeuvers the following month . On 21 February 1905 , the ship began a special refit at Portsmouth to configure her as a royal yacht . During the refit , the remainder of her secondary armament was removed to increase her accommodations . On 8 October , " Renown " left Portsmouth bound for Genoa , Italy . At Genoa , the Prince and Princess of Wales — the future King George V and Queen Mary — embarked for a royal tour of India . The first - class protected cruiser " Terrible " escorted the ship during the tour . At the conclusion of the tour , " Renown " departed Karachi on 23 March 1906 and arrived at Portsmouth on 7 May . She was placed into reserve on 31 May . In May 1907 , " Renown " was attached to the Home Fleet as a " subsidiary yacht " . Between October and December 1907 , " Renown " carried King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain on an official trip to and from the United Kingdom . The ship was transferred to the 4th Division , Home Fleet , at Portsmouth on 1 April 1909 . Five months later , 25 September , she began a refit in Portsmouth Dockyard to convert her for use as a stoker ' s training ship . " Renown " briefly served as a tender to HMS " Victory " in October before her refit was completed in November . During the Coronation Review at Spithead on 24 June 1911 for King George V , the ship was used as an accommodation ship . She was slightly damaged when water tanker " Aid " rammed her on 26 November 1911 . " Renown " was offered for sale on 31 January 1913 and partially dismantled . In December 1913 , she was moored at the Motherbank , awaiting disposal , and on 2 April 1914 she was sold for scrap at a price of £39 , 000 . She was broken up at Blyth .