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HMS Hibernia

Rob Kernaghan shares a batch of fine images of his conversion of Combrig Models HMS Britannia kit, into the King Edward VII-class battleship, HMS Hibernia!

The vessel...

HMS Hibernia was a King Edward VII-class battleship of Britain's Royal Navy, the last generation of British pre-dreadnoughts.

She was commissioned into Atlantic Fleet but was transferred to the Channel Fleet in early 1907 as flagship of its Vice admiral. During this period, William Boyle, 12th Earl of Cork, served as her commander. In March 1909 she was transferred to the Home Fleet as flagship of the rear admiral (second in command) of the 2nd Division.

She was placed in reserve at the Nore with a small reserve crew in January 1912. In May 1912 she was used for experiments with early naval aircraft and had a wooden flight deck constructed on her forecastle. On 2 May 1912 Commander Charles Samson became the first man to take off from a ship which was underway. He did this in a Shorts S27 biplane whilst Hibernia steamed at 10.5 knots (19 km/h) at the Royal Fleet Review in Weymouth Bay, England.

When World War I broke out she immediately joined the Grand Fleet and in October 1915 sailed for the Dardanelles as Rear Admiral Fremantle's flagship, from where she returned in May 1916. Among those serving aboard her during this time was Augustus Agar, later V.C. and famous for exploits against the Bolsheviks and as captain of HMS Dorsetshire in World War II.

In 1917 her 6 inch guns were removed from their casemates since these were flooded in heavy seas, and replaced with four on the higher shelter deck. At the end of the war she returned to the Nore where she was used as an accommodation ship until she was scrapped.