Why Benbow was not an ordinary Admiral

Benbow carried her huge guns in open barbettes, while the comparable weapons on Victoria and Sans Pareil sat together in a turret. Collingwood carried four 12-inch guns, and most of the other Admirals had four 13.5-inch guns with six six-inch guns. Benbow’s lighter two-gun 16.25-inch installation freed enough weight for ten six-inch guns, giving her a markedly different armament balance. Five 14-inch above-water torpedo tubes added another close-range threat. The largest weapons had considerable prestige value, but the faster-firing six-inch battery was likely to deliver more of the damage in a close fight. Benbow’s armament shows why main calibre alone gives an incomplete measure of fighting power.