HMS Indefatigable was the lead ship of her class of three battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during the first decade of the 20th Century. When the First World War began, Indefatigable was serving with the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron (BCS) in the Mediterranean, where she unsuccessfully pursued the battlecruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau of the German Imperial Navy as they fled toward the Ottoman Empire. The ship bombarded Ottoman fortifications defending the Dardanelles on 3 November 1914, then, following a refit in Malta, returned to the United Kingdom in February where she rejoined the 2nd BCS.
HMS Indefatigable
Starboard elevation and deck plan as depicted in Brassey's Naval Annual 1915. Note: plan is of Invincible-class battlecruisers; the Indefatigable-class had a third superstructure element with 'P' & 'Q' turrets more widely spaced.
Indefatigable putting to sea in 1916
Indefatigable sinking after being struck by shells from Von der Tann
Indefatigable-class battlecruiser
The Indefatigable class were the second class built of British battlecruisers which served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy during World War I. The design represented a modest reworking of the preceding Invincible class, featuring increased endurance and an improved cross-deck arc of fire for their midships wing turrets achieved by a lengthening of the hull. Like its predecessor, the design resembled the contemporary dreadnought of the Royal Navy, but sacrificed armour protection and one turret from the main battery for a 4-knot speed advantage.
Australia in 1914
Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in Brassey's Naval Annual 1923 The layout depicted in this diagram is in reality that of the Invincible class. Armour thicknesses were those claimed by the Admiralty; actual thicknesses were in some places the same as claimed, but in many places less.
A 12-inch shell being rammed in HMAS Australia; note the interrupted screw of the breech
New Zealand at anchor, circa 1911–14