Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:03:39-1:06:00

Turning Nelson into a faster economical battleship

A low-cost Depression-era battleship could begin with Nelson's protection and 16-inch guns, then spend scarce design margin on speed and a cleaner turret arrangement.

Battleship DesignNaval ProcurementNelson Class BattleshipsRoyal Navy
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Question

How could three economical Depression-era battleships be designed to face ships such as Bismarck or Yamato?

Short answer

Develop a faster Nelson-type ship with 16-inch guns, stronger machinery, and a superfiring forward battery.

Notes

Nelson and Rodney offer the newest proven starting point available in the period. Their armour and 16-inch battery already provide a credible answer to later heavy battleships, but their speed is the obvious limitation. More boilers could raise the design to roughly 28 knots, while a superfiring arrangement would let all nine guns bear forward. This economical approach modifies a sound baseline instead of inventing an entirely new ship.