Dardanelles campaign HMS Canopus (1897)

canopus 12-inch (305 mm) guns fire on turkish defences in dardanelles, march 1915. photo ernest brooks.

in february 1915, canopus transferred mediterranean take part in dardanelles campaign. on 2 march 1915, took part in second attack on ottoman turkish entrance forts @ dardanelles. during operation, led 4th sub-division, included pre-dreadnoughts cornwallis , swiftsure. canopus , swiftsure tasked suppressing guns in fortress @ dardanus while cornwallis engage minor batteries @ intepe , erenköy. canopus , swiftsure entered straits @ 13:20 , closed within 1,000 yards (910 m) of north shore, @ 14:20 opened fire @ fortress on other side of straits, 7,500 yards (6,900 m) away. ships fired 2 hours before ottomans inside dardanus returned fire @ 16:15, did quite accurately, straddling canopus , scoring hit on quarterdeck damaged wardroom. second shell knocked down topmast , third holed funnel after funnel, exploded, , rained fragments on 2 of boats.

the heavy ottoman fire forced canopus , swiftsure withdraw bombardment position, though placed them in range of guns @ erenköy well, while @ dardanus still engage them. cornwallis, having silenced guns @ intepe, started shelling erenköy, while canopus , swiftsure kept fire on dardanus. ottomans repeatedly straddled 3 battleships, being further out in strait, had more room manoeuvre , avoided direct hits. 16:40, guns @ dardanus fell silent, allowing 3 ships concentrate fire @ erenköy, batteries neutralised. 3 ships withdrew, seemingly having achieved objective, though night, when destroyers , minesweepers tried clear minefields blocking straits, met heavy fire , forced withdraw. during third landings on 4 march 1915, demonstrated off aegean coast keep ottoman ground forces tied down.

she covered bombardment of forts superdreadnought hms queen elizabeth on 8 march, , covered minesweepers attempting sweep in minefields off kephes on 10 march. during operation on 10th, she, protected cruiser amethyst, , several destroyers covered force of minesweepers. canopus attempted destroy searchlights ottoman coastal guns failed knock them out. result, when minesweepers tried clear mines, came under intense fire , had retreat, 1 of them striking mine in chaos. took part in major attack on narrows forts on 18 march 1915. during 18 march attack, fleet of british , french warships—including queen elizabeth , battlecruiser inflexible—would attempt suppress forts in daylight, allowing minesweepers clear fields unmolested ottoman fire. british ships succeeded in inflicting heavy damage on fortresses, battleship formidable , inflexible began taking serious damage coastal batteries. french battleships began take damage, , battleship bouvet struck mine , exploded.

the french ships began retreat, canopus , other british battleships continued bombardment. shortly thereafter, inflexible struck mine , badly damaged managed withdraw. battleships irresistible , ocean struck mines , both sank, forcing british break off attack. after attack, canopus , protected cruiser hms talbot escorted damaged inflexible mudros malta on 6 april. in heavy weather , inflexible foundering, canopus had take crippled battlecruiser under tow, stern first, during last 6 hours of voyage on 10 april. returning dardanelles, canopus took part in blockade of smyrna , covered diversionary attack on bulair during main landings on 25 april 1915. supported anzac forces ashore in may, including during strong ottoman counterattack on 19 may. when sister ship albion became stranded on sandbank off gaba tepe under heavy fire on 22–23 may 1915, canopus towed free. on 25 may, canopus withdrew mudros , while leaving dardanelles, encountered german u-boat u-21, went on sink battleship triumph later day. canopus underwent refit @ malta may june 1915.