Graduate in International Politics & Strategic Studies. Dabble in naval history. Frequently distracted by cricket.
Jun 16 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
A brief thread on the Revenge class battleships, because there seems to be some myths about them.
Often seen as a retrograde step after the Queen Elizabeths, this misunderstands their fleet role compared to the Queen Elizabeth class.
The Queen Elizabeths were a 'special' class. Intended to give the battle fleet its own organic fast division, they introduced some notable improvements - the 15in gun, being entirely oil fueled, and the increased speed of 25 knots.
Dec 5, 2023 • 17 tweets • 5 min read
One of my favourite photos of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, late summer/early autumn of 1941.
This profile view offers a good opportunity to highlight some features of the class, so, a thread...
First, the main armament. 10 x 14-inch guns in a 4-2-4 arrangement. The turrets were called 'A', 'B' and 'Y'. 'B' turret was originally conceived as a Quad as well, but changed to a twin to enable more armour to be carried on a Treaty limited displacement.
May 9, 2022 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
@ransonwrites To be honest, there wasn't much capacity for accelerating the Lions.
In essence, for most of 1934-35 the Royal Navy expected its next capital ship to have 14" guns. This was because most countries had indicated a willingness to reduce the calibre limit - except the USA.
@ransonwrites However, by Sep 1935 it had become clear that Japan would not agree to a reduction unless the USA didn, and the USA had given no such indication. European nations were also building fast 15" gun ships.
The need for a fast capital ship meant the 16" gun was viewed unfavourably.
Feb 17, 2022 • 31 tweets • 8 min read
Battleship Guns - Is fewer larger guns or more smaller guns better?
A question that troubled many a ship designer.
A comparison of 14", 15" and 16" guns...
1/30
The advantages of the larger gun are clear - it has a bigger shell, with more ability to penetrate armour. It'll generally have a larger bursting charge inside it.
Thefore, your hits are more likely to do significant damage when they do hit.
2/30
Jan 17, 2022 • 25 tweets • 8 min read
HMS Vanguard, Britain's last battleship. A brief overview.
1/25
Vanguard was the last British battleship built – the 59th in a line of big-gun warships going back to Dreadnought. She was a ship with quite an interesting origin. In the late 1930s the Royal Navy had embarked on an ambitious construction programme of capital ships.
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Sep 25, 2021 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
The superstructure of the battleship HMS King George V, January 1941.
There's a lot going in this photo, but what is everything for? And the 'Queen Anne's Mansion' superstructure is a distinctive feature, but what actually is inside it?
Well, starting from the top...
(1/18)
This is the sight for the UP Launcher on "B" turret. As designed it was meant to be No. 1 Pom Pom director for an Octuple Pom Pom on "B" turret, but such mounts were in short supply when the ship completed.
(2/18)
Sep 8, 2021 • 23 tweets • 6 min read
KGVs - Survivability Beyond Armour.
Clearly, battleships are known for their extensive heavy armour. But there's a lot more that goes into ensuring that they can remain combat capable if damaged.
I thought it would be interesting to highlight a few aspects.
(1/23)
Firstly, unit machinery and sub-division. The main propulsion machinery was divided across 8 compartments. 4 boiler rooms, each with 2 boilers, and 4 engine rooms.
These formed pairs, which were a self contained unit that drove 1 shaft.
(2/23)
Sep 4, 2021 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
A short thread on the evolution of British battleship armour.
Detail is in the images!
(1/10)
HMS Dreadnought, laid down 1905. This layout was typical of the early British 12-inch armed battleships, although of course there are some detail differences.
(2/10)
Jun 25, 2021 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
Conning a battleship without a Conning Tower - a small thread.
Or, where should you drive a battleship from if you're being shot at? And what happens if that position does get shot?
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Traditionally, capital ships had both something called a Compass Platform and an armoured Conning Tower. Helpfully modelled below by HMS Hood.
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May 15, 2021 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
The King George V class - Fire Control Arrangements
(Not how the maths works - that's far too complicated!)
(1/17)
For the 14-inch guns the centrepiece of the Fire Control System was the Admiralty Fire Control Table (AFCT). The KGVs carried the Mark IX.
(Pictured is Belfast's, a Mk VI, which is smaller).
Each turret also contained an Admiralty Fire Control Box for local control.