HMS Triumph (1903)

HMS Triumph was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Swiftsure class built for Chile, but purchased by the United Kingdom before completion. Originally named Constitución, she was laid down in 1902 and launched in 1903 at Armstrong Whitworth's Elswick shipyard.

Upon acquisition by the Royal Navy, Triumph served initially in the Home Fleet. She was later transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet before being deployed to the Far East in 1913.

At the outbreak of World War I, Triumph was involved in the hunt for the German East Asia Squadron, commanded by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee. She subsequently participated in operations against German colonial possessions in the Pacific.

In 1915, she was transferred to the Mediterranean to participate in the Dardanelles Campaign. On 25 May 1915, while off Gaba Tepe, Triumph was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-21, resulting in significant loss of life. Her sinking highlighted the vulnerability of even large battleships to submarine attack and influenced naval strategy in subsequent years.