An intentionally ambitious British battleship concept begins with geared turbines, long-barrel 18-inch guns, and heavy shells. The ship is immediately thousands of tons overweight. Roll, pitch, range, and ammunition all compete for the same displacement, so no single characteristic can be maximized in isolation. Cutting the nominal cruising range from 17,000 to 12,000 kilometers saves much of the excess weight, though the hull remains badly balanced. The opening design work turns a wish list into a set of naval-architecture compromises before combat testing begins.
Chapter · 3:06-10:12
A British super-battleship takes shape
The design begins with geared turbines, very heavy guns, and the first difficult tradeoffs among range, stability, and displacement.