HMS Curacoa was a Pearl-class cruiser launched in 1878, named after the island of Curaçao. It served in various roles, including as a training ship and a depot ship. The ship played a significant role in the Battle of Jutland during World War I. In 1921, it was decommissioned and converted to a training ship for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. During World War II, HMS Curacoa was involved in escort duties. Tragically, in 1942, the ship was accidentally rammed and sunk by the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary, resulting in the loss of over 300 lives. The incident led to significant changes in naval procedures to prevent such accidents in the future. The sinking of HMS Curacoa remains a notable event in maritime history due to the scale of the tragedy and its impact on naval operations.

This description has been generated using GPT-3.5-TURBO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.