Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:11:16-1:14:56

Why Renown was refitted before Hood

Hood could have become much more capable with an earlier reconstruction, but the older Renown was chosen as the test bed for the work.

BattlecruisersHMS HoodHMS RenownRoyal NavyShip Modernisation
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Question

Could Hood have been made much more capable, and why was Renown modernized first?

Short answer

Yes; Hood could have benefited greatly, but the older Renown was used to test the reconstruction methods before they were applied to Hood.

Notes

Gunnery officers understood how capable HMS Hood could have been after a major upgrade. Reconstructing Hood before HMS Renown would probably have produced a much stronger ship sooner. Renown actually went first because she was older and the Navy wanted to test the modernization methods on her. The choice protected the more valuable ship from experimental risk while delaying the refit that mattered most.