The class displaced 6,150 tons and combined a ten-foot draft with an unusually broad, short hull. Two unspecified boilers supplied vertical triple-expansion engines because the ships were built with machinery available during wartime. The resulting plant produced a nominal top speed of six and a half knots, and Raglan was the only member to undergo formal speed trials. A crew of 198 operated the twin 14-inch turret, lighter guns, and anti-aircraft weapons. Ten-inch turret armor and eight-inch barbettes protected the main armament, while belt and deck protection varied across the hull. The design accepted low speed so a heavily armed, shallow-draft ship could work close to shore.
Chapter · 1:36-5:12
Abercrombie-class monitors built around 14-inch guns
The Abercrombie class combines shallow draft, heavy armor, slow machinery, and a twin 14-inch turret in a monitor designed around coastal bombardment.