HMS Prince of Wales was a London-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.

The ship was assigned to the Channel Fleet after the beginning of the First World War in August 1914 and ferried Royal Marines to Belgium that same month.

After some hesitation, the Admiralty agreed, despite the ongoing construction of the smaller and faster Duncan class.

She was the last British battleship built with Belleville boilers as they had proven problematic and uneconomical in earlier ships.

She carried enough coal to steam 5,400 nautical miles (10,000 km; 6,200 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).

[10] Their secondary armament consisted of a dozen BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk VII guns on single mounts positioned in casemates amidships, six on each broadside.

[12] Fourteen quick-firing (QF) 12-pounder 3-inch (76 mm) 12-cwt guns were fitted for defence against torpedo boats.

Prince of Wales also carried six 3-pounder 1.9 in (47 mm) Hotchkiss guns, two in each fighting top and one on each turret roof.

The ship was fitted with four submerged 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, two on each broadside abreast the barbettes.

Upon completion in March 1904, HMS Prince of Wales immediately went into reserve at Chatham Dockyard.

[22] On 28 May, she ended her first Mediterranean tour by paying off for a refit at Portsmouth Dockyard[21] that lasted from June to November.

In December 1910, Rear-Admiral John Jellicoe, later commander of the Grand Fleet and First Sea Lord, hoisted his flag in Prince of Wales.

[21] By 18 May 1914, Prince of Wales had relieved her sister ship, Queen, as flagship of the 5th Battle Squadron.

[23] Prince of Wales was now the flagship of Rear-Admiral Bernard Currey and the first task of the squadron was to protect the transfer of the British Expeditionary Force over the English Channel to France.

The Germans made no significant effort to interfere with the traffic in the Channel and the 5th BS was allowed to return to Portland after the bulk of the BEF was across on 23 August.

Prince of Wales supported the landings of the 3rd Brigade, Australian Army, at Gaba Tepe and Anzac Cove on 25 April.