The first Repulse design shows how quickly an early hull runs out of displacement when armor, heavy guns, secondary weapons, and torpedoes are combined. Its armament consists of 12-inch main guns, six-inch casemates, three-inch anti-torpedo-boat weapons, and broadside torpedo tubes before weight forces reductions elsewhere. Speed and protection are sacrificed to reduce pitch and roll because instability directly harms aiming. The result resembles HMS Renown more than a Royal Sovereign and illustrates the compromises forced by early technology.
Chapter · 5:16-11:24
An early battleship exposes stability and armament tradeoffs
A pre-dreadnought-style design balances 12-inch guns, a six-inch secondary battery, torpedo defense, armor, speed, and the revised stability calculation.