Sinking of HMS Victoria - Royal Marines Lost

The sinking of HMS Victoria took place at approximately 15:30 on 22 June 1893, after HMS Victoria, the flagship of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet, collided with HMS Camperdown while on fleet manoeuvres in the Eastern Mediterranean.

HMS Victoria

The collision caused significant damage to Victoria's bow, with a large hole produced causing the ship to rapidly capsize.

HMS Victoria sinking after collision with HMS Camperdown during exercises in the Mediterranean. Other ship in picture is HMS Nile.

Victoria took approximately fifteen minutes to sink, with 358 members of the crew, including at least 69 Royal Marines and Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, lost in the disaster.

Frontpage of the illustrated supplement to the french daily paper Le Petit Journal n ° 137 dated Saturday July 8, 1893 including an engraving by Henri Meyer depicting the ramming of HMS Victoria by HMS Campertown off the coast of Tripoli, in the Mediterranean Sea, on June 22, 1893.

During a confused manouvre Camperdown's ram struck the starboard side of Victoria about 12 ft (3.7 m) below the waterline and penetrated 9 ft (2.7 m) into the ship.

The engines were left turning astern, and this caused the ram to be withdrawn and to let in more seawater before all the watertight doors on Victoria had been closed. Two minutes after the collision, the ships were moving apart.

Victoria capsized just 13 minutes after the collision, rotating to starboard with a terrible crash as her boats and anything free fell to the side and as water entering through the funnels caused explosions when it reached the boilers. With her keel uppermost, she slipped into the water bow first, propellers still rotating and threatening anyone near them. Most of the crew managed to abandon ship, although those in the engine room never received orders to leave their posts and were drowned.

Gunner Frederick Johnson reported being sucked down three times, and said that while originally there were 30–40 people around him, afterwards there were only three or four.

Of the crew, 357 were rescued and 358 died. Among the dead was a 15-year-old Royal Marines Light Infantry bugler, Walter Langford Collins of Westbury-sub-Mendip, who is commemorated in its churchyard.

Read More/ References:

1. Maritime Quest - HMS Victoria

2. Wikipedia - Sinking of HMS Victoria