When Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini died unexpectedly on August 25, 1896, his cousin Khalid bin Barghash immediately seized power in Zanzibar without British approval, violating an existing treaty requiring imperial consent. The British issued a strict ultimatum: step down by 9:00 AM on August 27 or face military intervention. Khalid refused, barricading himself inside the wooden palace with roughly 3,000 troops and artillery.
His lone naval pride was the HHS Glasgow, a lavish royal yacht previously gifted to a former sultan by Queen Victoria. Armed with a few outdated Gatling guns, the Glasgow was utterly outclassed by the five modern British warships anchored in the harbor. When the ultimatum expired at 9:00 AM, British cruisers unleashed a barrage of high-explosive shells onto the palace grounds.
Outgunned and incapable of maneuvering, the HHS Glasgow opened fire on the Royal Navy. Its feeble defense lasted only minutes; British counter-fire quickly pierced the yacht's hull, causing it to founder in the harbor. With the palace engulfed in flames and over 500 casualties sustained on the Zanzibari side compared to a single wounded British sailor, Khalid fled to the local German consulate.
By 9:38 AM, the shelling ceased, the royal flag was hauled down, and the conflict secured its spot as the briefest war in human history.