Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 6:06:34-6:08:11

Dreadnought and South Carolina: speed despite equal broadsides

The comparison favors Dreadnought's sustained speed while noting that both ships could bring eight 12-inch guns to bear.

BattleshipsHMS DreadnoughtRoyal NavySouth Carolina Class BattleshipsSteam TurbinesUS Navy
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Question

Which was the better design, HMS Dreadnought or USS South Carolina?

Short answer

The answer favors Dreadnought because of its higher sustainable speed, despite the same eight-gun broadside.

Notes

South Carolina's approximately 18.5 knots compares with Dreadnought's 21 knots. South Carolina's triple-expansion machinery is described as reliable but poorly suited to sustaining the higher speed. Both ships can bring eight 12-inch guns to bear, so broadside count alone does not explain the preference. Their difference in overall length is also used to illustrate how much the designs differ. South Carolina is judged closer to an improved pre-dreadnought, chiefly on the basis of speed and machinery.