Sold for Scrap 1920
HMS Canopus, built by Portsmouth Dockyard, launched 3/10/1897, spent two tours in the Mediterranean (1903 and 1908), and the outbreak of World War I, found her laid up and scheduled for scrapping in 1915. The British Admiralty sent Canopus, Captain Heathcote Grant commanding, to reinforce Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock's South American squadron against Vice Admiral Graf von Spee's East Asia Cruiser Squadron. But Cradock detached her to escort colliers and she missed the disastrous Battle of Coronel. First Sea Lord Fisher then ordered the ship beached at Stanley as a defense for the Falkland Islands port and on December 8, Canopus fired the opening shots of the battle of the Falklands against the scouting Gneisenau and Nurnberg. After service in the Dardanelles in 1915, she was taken out of active service and broken up in February 1920.
HMS Canopus, War Service:
8th Battle Squadron Channel Fleet.
August 1914: sent to support cruiser operations in Canary Islands area.
September 1914 sent to South America Station as guard ship.
Took part in hunt for Admiral Graf Spee. 8 December 1914: fired opening shots of the Battle of the Falkland Islands.
February 1915: transferred to the Dardanelles.
2 March 1915: took part on forts.
4 March 1915: supported landings.
8 March 1915: supported minesweeping operations.
10-12 March 1915: took part in attack on the narrows.
18 March 1918: escorted the damaged HMS Inflexible to Malta.
25 April 1915: covered diversionary attack on Bulair.
23 May 1915: towed HMS Albion after that ship ran aground.
May-June 1915: under refit at Malta.
After the end of the Dardanelles campaign served in Eastern Mediterranean until April 1916.
28 April 1916: paid off at Portsmouth to release crew for newer ships.
1920 :sold for scrap.
