HMS Collingwood – A Frequently Miscaptioned Naval Incident
This image is often described as showing HMS Collingwood sunk in 1885, but historical records show that HMS Collingwood was not lost in that year. The name Collingwood belonged to several Royal Navy ships, the most notable of the period being the ironclad battleship HMS Collingwood, launched in 1882.
Rather than being sunk in 1885, HMS Collingwood had a long and active naval career. She is best known for her involvement in a collision in 1888, when she struck HMS Howe, causing Howe to capsize and sink while under tow — an incident that became one of the Royal Navy’s most serious peacetime losses of the era.
HMS Collingwood herself survived that event and continued in service for many years before eventually being expended as a target ship in the early 20th century. Images captioned as her sinking in 1885 are therefore believed to be misidentified naval exercises, damage photographs, or later training-ship incidents incorrectly attributed to her name.
This photograph serves as a reminder that historic maritime images were often re-captioned decades later, sometimes inaccurately, as they passed into postcard collections, newspapers, and private archives.
Snap Facts
Ship name: HMS Collingwood
Type: Ironclad battleship
Launched: 1882
Not sunk in 1885
Famously involved in: 1888 collision sinking HMS Howe
Fate: Later used as a target ship
