Mediterranean On 6 November 1915, a division of the 3rd Battle Squadron consisting of battleships (the flagship), , Albemarle, and Russell was detached from the Grand Fleet to reinforce the British Dardanelles Squadron in the Gallipoli Campaign at the Gallipoli Peninsula. Russell was at that time in Belfast, and she joined the other ships while they were en route. Albemarle had to turn back almost immediately due to heavy weather damage, but the other ships continued to the Mediterranean, where Russell took up her duties at the Dardanelles in December 1915, based at Mudros with Hibernia and held back in support. Her only action in the campaign was her participation in the evacuation of Cape Helles from 7 January to 9 January 1916, and she was the last battleship of the British Dardanelles Squadron to leave the area. She relieved Hibernia as Divisional Flagship, Rear Admiral, in January 1916. After the conclusion of the Dardanelles campaign, Russell stayed on in the eastern Mediterranean. Russell was steaming off Malta early on the morning of 27 April 1916 when she struck two naval mines that had been laid by the German submarine . A fire broke out in the after part of the ship and the order to abandon ship was passed; after an explosion near the after turret, she took on a dangerous list. However, she sank slowly, allowing most of her crew to escape. A total of 27 officers and 98 ratings were lost. John H. D. Cunningham served aboard her at the time as a lieutenant commander and survived her sinking; he would one day become First Sea Lord. According to the naval historian R. A. Burt, insufficient internal subdivision, which limited the ability of the crew to counter-flood to offset underwater damage, contributed significantly to the loss of Russell and her sister Cornwallis, both of which listed badly before sinking. The wreck was examined for the first time in 2003 by a British dive team; the ship lies at a depth of about from the Delimara peninsula. Her stern was blown off by the mine. Footnotes Notes Citations References Further reading Duncan-class battleships 1901 ships Ships built on the River Tyne World War I battleships of the United Kingdom Ships sunk by mines World War I shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Shipwrecks of Malta