Origin
In 1908 the Lords of the Admiralty became alarmed at information reaching them which suggested that Germany, seen as the most likely opponent in any future naval conflict, was building dreadnoughts in secret in a bid to exceed the number operated by the Royal Navy. Agitation to accelerate the British dreadnought building programme was led by Admiral Fisher, the First Sea Lord at the time. There was considerable opposition to the proposal, led by Winston Churchill who was at that time President of the Board of Trade. This opposition was ultimately overruled, and Colossus and her sister ship HMS Hercules were approved for construction in the 1909 programme. She was launched on April 9, 1910 and completed and commissioned in July 1911.
Read more about this topic: HMS Colossus (1910)
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