HMS Iphigenia (1891)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Iphigenia.

HMS Iphigenia was an Apollo-class protected cruiser of the Royal Navy built on the River Clyde and launched in 1891, spending her early years on the China Station. When she became obsolete as a cruiser, she was converted as a minelayer in 1907. Her service ended when she was sunk as a blockship during the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918.

Iphigenia, 1910s
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Iphigenia
Builder	London and Glasgow Shipbuilding Company
Laid down	17 March 1890
Launched	19 November 1891
Commissioned	May 1893
Fate	Expended as a block ship, 23 April 1918
Badge	Ship's badge of HMS Iphigenia (IWM Q20184)
General characteristics
Class & type	Apollo-class cruiser
Displacement	3,600 tons
Length	314 ft (95.7 m)
Beam	43.5 ft (13.3 m)
Draught	17.5 ft (5.3 m)
Propulsion	twin screw triple expansion engines from Earle's Shipbuilding
Speed	19.75 knots (36.58 km/h)
Complement	273 to 300 (Officers and Men)
Armament	As built: 2 × QF 6-inch (152.4 mm) guns 6 × QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns 8 × 6-pounders 2 to 4 × 14 inch torpedo tubes Converted pre-1914 to a lightly armed minelayer.

History

The Chinese Question, HMS Centurion and Iphigenia joining the British Squadron off Port Hamilton, Christmas Day, 1897

Ordered under the Naval Defence Act 1889, Iphigenia was laid down in 1891 at the yard of the London and Glasgow Shipbuilding Company. She was ordered with HMS Sutlej to monitor the Russian fleeting sailing through the Singapore Strait on the way to the Battle of Tsushima.^[1] They arrived too late to this although they did meet the Russian fleet the following day with Sutlej greeting them with a 17 gun salute.^[1] She returned from duty on the China Station in 1906.

Along with a number of other ships of her class, as she became obsolete as a cruiser she was converted at Chatham Dockyard into a minelayer. This work was completed by August 1907. She was then based at Dover and Sheerness. In 1917 she was in use as a depot ship in the White Sea as part of the British North Russia Squadron.^[2]

Along with HMS Intrepid and HMS Thetis she was selected to be used as a blockship during the Zeebrugge Raid. She was sunk at the entrance to the Bruges Canal to try to prevent its use by German U-boats.^[3] She was subsequently broken up when the canal was cleared.

• 
  Aerial photograph showing the blockships sunk after the Zeebrugge Raid. HMS Iphigenia is second from left
• 
  Wrecks of Iphigenia and HMS Intrepid blocking the mouth of the Bruges Ship Canal at Zeebrugge, 24 October 1918.