On June 22, 1893, the British Mediterranean Fleet was performing naval maneuvers off the coast of Tripoli under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon. Tryon was a brilliant but autocratic commander known for testing subordinates with complex tactical signals. On this fateful day, he ordered two parallel columns of battleships, spaced just 1,200 yards apart, to execute a 180-degree inward turn toward each other.
The maneuver mathematically required a combined turning circle of at least 1,600 yards for the massive ironclad warships to clear each other safely. Rear-Admiral Albert Markham, aboard HMS Camperdown, hesitated upon receiving the flag signal, suspecting an error. However, Tryon signaled back demanding immediate compliance.
Believing the commander had an unrevealed trick, Markham ordered Camperdown to turn. HMS Victoria, the flagship carrying Tryon, turned simultaneously. Within minutes, the ram bow of Camperdown tore open Victoria's hull below the waterline.
The flagship rapidly capsized and sank in thirteen minutes, taking Vice-Admiral Tryon and 357 crew members to the bottom. Tryon's last words were reported to be 'It was all my fault.' The disaster stands as one of the most tragic miscommunications in naval history.