I thought it would be interesting to set out how British battleship design evolved from the initial setting out of the Staff Requirements in 1933 to the finalisation of the King George V design in 1936.
Stage 1 - Initial Staff Requirements
“The First Sea Lord emphasised the great importance that any new battleships should have the strongest protection against air attack so that there would be no fear of their going into narrow waters for this reason. That necessitated not only a very good high angle armament […] but also a completely satisfactory armament against low air attack either by bombers or torpedo bombers. Our aim should be that future battleships should be able to defy air attack rather than have to avoid it and, if necessary, sacrifices must be made in other directions in order to achieve this essential requirement.” – 30th November 1934
In early 1933 the Staff Requirements were set out for the projected new battleships to be laid down in 1937. Against the backdrop of the World Disarmament Conference, a 12-inch gun was specified. Protection, however, had to be against existing 16-inch gun ships, and the ship also had to take account of developments in air and underwater threats. The requirements were summarised as follows:
Six (6!) aircraft seems a little excessive.
Stage 2 - 12-inch guns on 28,500 tons
The next move was to see what could be done if the current treaty displacement was cut by just under 20% - from 35,000 tons to 28,500 tons. Four designs were produced, 12N through 12Q, reflecting main armaments of 8, 9, 10 or 12 guns. Compared to the 1933 Battleship, these were shorter ships and required slightly more SHP to hit the 23 knot requirement. These retain some interesting features, such as the separate lower belt for protection against diving shells and the battery mounted secondary armament. Unsurprisingly, the heavier armed ships came with sacrifices in torpedoes, aircraft and armour.
Stage 3 - Elimination of the split secondary battery
To reduce congestion in the design it was proposed to eliminate the 6-inch battery entirely, and instead double the number of 4.7-inch high-angle guns. This was supported by destroyer captains who said they'd prefer to face 6 x 6-inch guns rather than 12 x 4.7-inch guns. This resulted in designs 12R, 12S and 12T. 12R and 12S were almost identical - 12S had two fewer quad machine gun mounts. 12T was the four twin turret option which came with a slight penalty in deck and underwater protection.
Stage 1 - Initial Staff Requirements
“The First Sea Lord emphasised the great importance that any new battleships should have the strongest protection against air attack so that there would be no fear of their going into narrow waters for this reason. That necessitated not only a very good high angle armament […] but also a completely satisfactory armament against low air attack either by bombers or torpedo bombers. Our aim should be that future battleships should be able to defy air attack rather than have to avoid it and, if necessary, sacrifices must be made in other directions in order to achieve this essential requirement.” – 30th November 1934
In early 1933 the Staff Requirements were set out for the projected new battleships to be laid down in 1937. Against the backdrop of the World Disarmament Conference, a 12-inch gun was specified. Protection, however, had to be against existing 16-inch gun ships, and the ship also had to take account of developments in air and underwater threats. The requirements were summarised as follows:
- Main Armament - Not less than 4 twin 12-inch turrets, set out as in the Queen Elizabeth class.
- Secondary Armament - 12 x 6-inch guns in battery (casemate) mountings.
- Anti-Aircraft Armament - 6 guns on each side, either 4.7-inch or 4-inch. Ideally 4 Multiple Pom Poms and 8 Multiple Machine Guns, but a minimum of 2 and 4 respectively.
- Torpedoes - Above water tubes in quintuple mountings
- Armour Protection - Protection against 16-inch shell and 2,000 lb bombs. Protection to machinery spaces against 1,000 lb "Terminal velocity dive" bomb attack.
- Underwater Protection - Against 1,000 lb charge in contact with the ship's side
- Speed - 23 knots in deep condition.
Six (6!) aircraft seems a little excessive.
Stage 2 - 12-inch guns on 28,500 tons
The next move was to see what could be done if the current treaty displacement was cut by just under 20% - from 35,000 tons to 28,500 tons. Four designs were produced, 12N through 12Q, reflecting main armaments of 8, 9, 10 or 12 guns. Compared to the 1933 Battleship, these were shorter ships and required slightly more SHP to hit the 23 knot requirement. These retain some interesting features, such as the separate lower belt for protection against diving shells and the battery mounted secondary armament. Unsurprisingly, the heavier armed ships came with sacrifices in torpedoes, aircraft and armour.
Stage 3 - Elimination of the split secondary battery
To reduce congestion in the design it was proposed to eliminate the 6-inch battery entirely, and instead double the number of 4.7-inch high-angle guns. This was supported by destroyer captains who said they'd prefer to face 6 x 6-inch guns rather than 12 x 4.7-inch guns. This resulted in designs 12R, 12S and 12T. 12R and 12S were almost identical - 12S had two fewer quad machine gun mounts. 12T was the four twin turret option which came with a slight penalty in deck and underwater protection.
statistics: Posted by Mattzo — 8:53 PM - 1 day ago — Replies 9 — Views 161