HMS Minotaur (1906)

HMS Minotaur was the lead ship of the Minotaur-class armored cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1900s. Completed in 1908, she was armed with four 9.2-inch (234 mm) guns and ten 7.5-inch (190 mm) guns.

The Minotaur-class cruisers were designed as powerful commerce raiders, intended to hunt down and destroy enemy merchant shipping. Minotaur served with the Atlantic Fleet and later the Channel Fleet before the outbreak of World War I.

During World War I, Minotaur was assigned to the Grand Fleet. She participated in the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916 as part of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. During the battle, Minotaur engaged German light cruisers and battleships, suffering moderate damage. She did not sink any enemy ships.

After Jutland, Minotaur continued to serve with the Grand Fleet, patrolling the North Sea. She was placed in reserve in 1919 and sold for scrap in 1920. The Minotaur class represented the last of the Royal Navy's armored cruisers to be constructed.