An item referred to the Journal R.U.S.I. reporting that for the new building of the cruisers Inflexible, (1), Invincible (2) and Indomitable (3) laid down in 1906 contracts were closed with private shipyards varying from 1,22 -1,25 million pound sterling excluded armament and equipment.
Notes
1. Building authorized under program 1905. Laid down at the shipyard of John Brown&Co., Clydebank, Scotland on 5 February 1906, launched on 26 June 1907, commissioned on 20 October 1908, added to the Reserve Fleet in 1919, decommissioned on 31 March 1920, although Chile was interested in buying was a sale not achieved, sold to be broken up on 1 December 1921 and broken up in Germany in 1922. Building costs 1.728.229 (without guns)-1.767.515 (with guns) pound sterling.
General technical specifications of this class. A displacement of 17.530 tons/17.250 long tons (loaded)-20.750 tons20.420 long tons (deep loaded) and as dimensions 172,8 (over all) x 23,9 x 9,1 (deep loaded) metres or 567 x 78.5 x 30 feet. The two paired sets of Parsons direct-drive steam turbines and 31 Babcock&Wilcor water tube boilers supplied via 4 shafts 41.000 shp (design) allowing a speed of 25 (design)-26 (trials) knots and with a speed of 10 knots and maximum coal bunker capacity of 3.050 tons/3.000 long tons and 737 tons/725 long tons fuel-oil a range of 3.090 nautical miles. The crew numbered 784 men. The armour consisted of a 10,2-15,2cm-4-6” thick belt, 3,8-6,4cm/1.5-2,5” thick decks, 6,4cm/2.5” thick torpedo bulkheads with the gun turrets, barbettes and conning tower protected by respectively 17,8cm/7”, 17,8cm/7” and 15,2-25,4cm/6-10”. The armament consisted of 4x2-30,5cm/12” Mk X breech loading guns. 16x1-10,2cm/4” quick firing Mk III guns, 7 Maxim guns and 5x1-45cm/18” submerged torpedo tubes. The Inflexible and Indomitable were around 1918 also fitted out with a Sopwith Pup and a Sopwith 1½ Strutter. Their flying-off platforms fitted out with a canvas hangar were situated on top of the P and Q turrets.
Of the Invincible-class consisting of the Invincible, Indomitable and Inflexible. Preceded by the Minotaur-class armoured cruisers and succeeded by the Indefatigable-class. The concept for the Invincible-class battle cruisers came from the British admiral Sir John Fisher.(1) The idea was to design a ship fast enough to escape from stronger opponents like battleships and strong enough to destroy nearly all other ships while the battle cruisers were as heavily armed as most of the battleships of their time. This became clear while the Invincible and Flexible were mainly responsible for destroying the German armoured cruisers SMS Scharnhorst (2) and Gneisenau (3) in the Battle of the Falkland Islands but against enemy battleships coming in problems like the Invincible lost in the Battle of Jutland. Classified as armoured cruisers until an Admiralty order dated 24 November 1911 otherwise decided.
2. Of the Invincible-class consisting of the Invincible, Indomitable and Inflexible. Laid down at the shipyard of Armstrong, Whitworth&Co. Ltd, Tyneside, Elswick, England on 2 April 1906, launched at 3 p.m. by Lady Allendale on 13 April 1907, officially completed on 16 March 1909, commissioned on 20 March 1909 and sunk on 31 May 1916 during the Battle of Jutland when a magazine exploded after the Q turret was hit. Building costs 1.725.739 (with guns)-1.768.995 (without guns) pound sterling.
3. Of the Invincible-class consisting of the Invincible, Indomitable and Inflexible. Laid down at th shipyard of Fairfield, Govan, Scotland on 1 March 1906, launched on 16 March 1907, commissioned on 25 June 1908, added to the Reserve Fleet in 1919, paid off in March 1920 and sold to be broken up on 1 December 1921. Building costs 1.752.337 (with guns)-1.761.080 (without guns) pound sterling.
