Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 22:55-24:20

Why Anson and Howe sat far down the admiral-name list

Anson and Howe were distinguished names, but many other Royal Navy admirals had plausible claims to commemoration before them.

King George V Class Battleships (1939)Naval AdministrationNaval HistoryRoyal NavyShip Naming
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

How far down the list of Royal Navy admirals were the names not used for the 1939 battleships?

Short answer

Quite far down, because many prominent admirals could plausibly have preceded Anson and Howe in a purely historical ranking.

Notes

The final King George V-class names should not be treated as the top five entries on a simple prestige list. Admirals such as Hornby, Cochrane, Parker, and FitzRoy illustrate how many candidates could be argued ahead of Anson and Howe. The selection was shaped by the immediate naming problem as well as any abstract ranking of admirals. Ship names emerge here as administrative and political choices rather than a neutral historical league table.