HMS INFLEXIBLE AT THE TIME OF JUTLAND – SUMMER 1916

The second battlecruiser to be built for the Royal Navy, INFLEXIBLE was completed on 20 October 1908 and commissioned at Chatham Dockyard under the command of Captain H B Torlesse RN. The 3 ships of the Invincible Class, INVINCIBLE, INDOMITABLE and INFLEXIBLE were as revolutionary in their concept as was DREADNOUGHT and they equated in public estimation very much with that battleship: but the Invincibles were bigger and much faster, not quite so heavily armed and carried very much less armour protection. INFLEXIBLE’s moment of triumph was undoubtedly the spectacular defeat she and INVINCIBLE inflicted on Admiral Von Spee’s squadron off the Falklands in 1914. She was present at the Dardanelles in 1915 where she was damaged by shell fire and heavily mined; and was part of the 3rd BCS at Jutland. Paid off at Sheerness on 31 March 1920 she was sold in 1922.