HMS Argyll (1904)
The second HMS Argyll was launched in 1904 after an absence of an Argyll presence in the Royal Navy for over 160 years. She was a Devonshire-class armoured cruiser. The ship displaced ove 10,850 tons and had a length of 473 feet, making her slightly longer than the current HMS Argyll. She was laid down in 1902, launched in 1904 and commissioned in 1905.In 1906 she was allocated to the 1st Cruiser squadron, which was part of the Channel Fleet. In 1909 she joined the Atlantic Fleet as part of the 5th Cruiser Squadron. In 1911 she was detached from the squadron to escort the Royal Yacht SS Medina in it's trip to Durbar in British India. The following year she joined the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, later being damaged at Plymouth Sound where she ran aground in December 1910.
At the outbreak of WWI in 1914, as part of the Grand Fleet, she made her mark quite quickly, when she captured a German merchant ship on the 6th of August. From late 1914 to late 1915 she was employed in many night-time patrols. In late 1915, Argyll, under the command of Captain James Tancred, ran aground on the Bell Rock near Dundee. The lighthouse had been ordered to switch it's lights off for fear of assisting German U-Boats in their operations, and so the light could only be turned on by special permission. While in view of the lighthouse, Argyll sent a signal requesting the light to be turned on.
The ship proceeded on it's course believing the signal had been received, but it hadn't. Soon afterwards, Argyll ran aground suffering extensive damage to much of the hull. Two destroyers, HMS Hornet and HMS Jackal, assisted in the rescue of the stricken cruisers crew. No fatalities were suffered from Argylls crew complement. She was blown up by a navy salvage team after every valuable item onboard had been salvaged, including the ships 6-inch guns. In 1970, her two large propellers were recovered by divers and sold for scrap.
See HMS Argyll for other ships of the name.