Date

History
The Majestic class was an armored warship built by the Naval Construction & Armaments Co. of Barrow at the Portsmouth Dockyards. Its first mission was to serve as the flagship of the channel fleet protecting England's southern coast. In 1912, its radio and weapon systems were upgraded. While planning operations for the Dardanelles, Churchill claimed that this ship was old. However, believing they could easily pass through the Dardanelles and capture Istanbul, they decided to add the Majestic to the naval fleet and sent it to the Dardanelles on February 1, 1915. The Majestic, which reached the strait on February 25, 1915, had its first mission the day after arriving in the Dardanelles, on February 26, 1915, to destroy the Dardanos and Baykuş batteries and attempt to clear the mines. It participated in the attacks on March 1 and March 4, 1915, and finally took part in the strait operation on March 18, 1915, as part of the second British naval division.

 

HMS Majestic was assigned to support other naval vessels during the Gallipoli Campaign. However, the British and French forces, realizing that this war could not be won at sea, began land warfare. After the landings began on April 25, 1915, HMS Majestic continued its mission in the Dardanelles to show the soldiers on land that the navy had not abandoned them and to provide moral support. On May 26, 1915, it was carrying the flag of fleet commander Rear Admiral Nicol as the flagship of the fleet off the coast of Gallipoli. On May 27, 1915, around 06:30 in the morning, it was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-21. The ship's commander, Thomas Lavrie Shelford, had anchored as close to shore as possible and surrounded the ship with torpedo nets to avoid sharing the same fate as the Triump, which had been sunk by U-21 two days earlier, but after a long and uncertain month-long journey, he could not escape becoming a target of U-21. U-21, which holds the title of the first submarine to sink an enemy ship by torpedoing, achieved great success by sinking two warships in the short time it was in the Dardanelles.

HMS Majestic lies at a depth of 18-23 meters, having lost its guns but largely maintaining its form.

 

On May 27, 1915, the Majestic was torpedoed and sank at Hellasburnu. (…) A naval officer said that the Majestic lay at a depth of 6 fathoms, like a capsized whale, with its hull up. According to him, the German submarine had skillfully aimed its torpedo at the Majestic, which was among the transport ships loaded to capacity. Ian Hamilton

 

What You Will See While Diving:

A large number of unexploded shells of various sizes on the wreck's surface.

Burnable cables in the form of powder underwater.

Front and rear turrets.

The tower that broke when it sank.

The characteristic feature of Majestic class ships and the double smokestacks that made it a target for U-21.

Diversity of Flora and Fauna (Living species) on and around the ship.

 

Diving Equipment Information:

The equipment to be used for diving includes the basic gear used in equipped dives, such as mask, fins, weights, buoyancy vest, diving tank, wetsuit (3-5 mm depending on the season), regulator, gloves, and a 7 mm neoprene suit during the November-March seasons, as well as semi-dry or dry suits, and diving can also be conducted with this equipment in the historical underwater park of Gallipoli.

Images from the Shipwreck

Diving Points

3D Photogrammetry

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