and ratings. The Canopus-class ships were powered by a pair of 3-cylinder triple-expansion engines, with steam provided by twenty Belleville boilers. They were the first British battleships with water-tube boilers, which generated more power at less expense in weight compared with the fire-tube boilers used in previous ships. The new boilers led to the adoption of fore-and-aft funnels, rather than the side-by-side funnel arrangement used in many previous British battleships. The Canopus-class ships proved to be good steamers, with a high speed for battleships of their time— from —a full two knots faster than the Majestics. Ocean had a main battery of four 35-calibre guns mounted in twin-gun turrets fore and aft; these guns were mounted in circular barbettes that allowed all-around loading, although at a fixed elevation. The ships also mounted a secondary battery of twelve 40-calibre guns mounted in casemates, in addition to ten 12-pounder guns and six 3-pounder guns for defence against torpedo boats. As was customary for battleships of the period, she was also equipped with four torpedo tubes submerged in the hull, two on each broadside near the forward and aft barbette. To save weight, Ocean carried less armour than the Majestics—6 inches in the belt compared to —although the change from Harvey armour in the Majestics to Krupp armour in Ocean meant that the loss in protection was not as great as it might have been, Krupp armour having greater protective value at a given weight than its Harvey equivalent. Similarly, the other armour used to protect the ship could also be thinner; the bulkheads on either end of the belt were thick. The main battery turrets were 10 in thick, atop 12-inch barbettes, and the casemate battery was protected with 6 in of Krupp steel. Her conning tower had 12 in thick sides as well. She was fitted with two armoured decks, thick, respectively. Service history Pre-World War I HMS Ocean was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 15 December 1897, and was the first large armoured ship built at Devonport. She was launched on 5 July 1898, when she was christened by Princess Louise, Marchioness of Lorne in the presence of the Lords of the Admiralty. Completed in early 1900, Ocean was commissioned at Devonport on 20 February 1900 by Captain Assheton Curzon-Howe for service with the Mediterranean Fleet. After a commissioning trial, she left Devonport on 13 March, and arrived at