HMS Cornwallis 3rd Battle Squadron Grand Fleet. December 1914-Janaury 1915 operated in West Ireland area. January 1915 sent to Dardanelles. 18 February 1915 bombardment of forts. February-March 1915 supported landings. 18-20 December 1915 covered withdrawal of troops from Sulva Bay. December 1915-March 1916 part of Suez Canal Patrol. March 1916 eastern Mediterranean. 7 January 1917 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U32. HMS Cornwallis Cornwallis (after Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis) served in the Mediterranean Fleet (1904-1905), the Channel Fleet (1905-1907), the British Atlantic Fleet (1907-1909), the Mediterranean Fleet again (1909-1912), and the Home Fleet (1912-1914). Her World War I service was in the Grand Fleet (1914); in the Channel Fleet (1914); and in the West Ireland area (1914-1915). She took part in the Dardanelles Campaign (1915), during which she was the first ship to fire her guns during the campaign and took part in all operations including the Gallipoli evacuation, being the last large ship to leave the Suvla Bay area. She then served on the Suez Canal Patrol and East Indies Station (1915-1917), including duty in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. She was sunk with the loss of fifteen lives off Malta, on 9 January 1917 by two or three torpedoes from U-32. Heres the book ..... interesting read !! The Immortal Gamble http://www.archive.org/stream/immortalgamblepa00stewrich Naval chaplain Rev Charles Peshall won the DSO at Zeebrugge HMS Cornwallis, the last ship to leave Gallipoli in the evacuation of 19-20 December 1915, returns fire to the Turkish guns shelling her as she prepares to sail. In the background stores at Suvla Bay, set alight to prevent their use by the Turks, can be seen burning.
