HMS Black Prince

HMS Black Prince was a Duke of Edinburgh Class Armoured Cruiser. She was part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron of The Grand Fleet consisting of HMS Defence ( Flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Arbuthnot), HMS Warrior and HMS Duke of Edinburgh. At the Battle of Jutland "Black Prince" became detached from her Squadron, and the last that was heard from her was when she reported a submarine sighting by wireless at 20:48 hrs on 31st May 1916. But this was not the last that was seen of her at 23:35 GMT on the 31st she briefly engaged the German Battleship Rheinland hitting her with 2x 6-inch shells. And at 00:10hrs GMT the 1st June 1916, HMS Black Prince approached a force of Dreadnought Battleships believing them to be part of the Grand Fleet and made the Grand Fleets challenge by signal lamp. She was answered by being illuminated by searchlights and being deluged by salvoes of 12inch shells at point-blank range causing catastrophic damage ( the Dreadnought Battleships were, in fact, the German ships Thuringen, Ostfriesland and Friederich Der Grosse). HMS Black Prince immediately turned away and disappeared into the darkness. The last sighting of " Black Prince" was by the British Destroyer HMS Spitfire ( which was laying stopped and disabled after a ramming incident with a German Cruiser) in the early hours of the 1st June 1916. when "Spitfires" ships company sighted a ship with 2 funnels shot away, Guns trained to Starboard and ablaze from stem to stern bearing down on them out of the darkness. This was HMS Black Prince, as she steamed past HMS Spitfire the crackle and hiss of the fires that were engulfing" Black Prince" could plainly be heard by the men on deck on " Spitfire". Shortly afterwards an explosion was observed and heard from the direction from which  HMS Black Prince had steamed. HMS Black Prince had disappeared into the dark of night and was lost there were no survivors. Her entire ships complement of 857 officers and men perished with her. HMS Black Prince`s wreck would not be located for another 99 years.