Battle damage, repair, and flagship utility

After HMS Queen Elizabeth departed for the United Kingdom, Lord Nelson took over as flagship. Ottoman forts hit her several times, damaging the rigging and superstructure and sending a stone cannonball onto the deck. A below-waterline hit flooded two coal bunkers, but coal in full bunkers could also contribute protection around the hull, while empty bunkers and coal dust brought different hazards. Repairs at Malta took roughly ten days, demonstrating the resilience and repairability of a coal-fired battleship. Lord Nelson also operated kite balloons and received senior Army and Navy figures including Kitchener, Rosslyn Wemyss, and John de Robeck. These varied uses show why accommodation and command facilities kept an older battleship valuable as a mobile headquarters as well as a bombardment ship.