Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:25:13-3:29:42

An Italian-style reconstruction of HMS Warspite

A radical rebuild could turn Warspite into a faster nine-gun battleship and create a British triple 15-inch turret with wider design consequences.

Battleship ModernisationHMS WarspiteKing George V Class Battleships (1939)Naval GunsQueen Elizabeth Class Battleships
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Question

What could an Italian-style reconstruction do for HMS Warspite?

Short answer

It could create a faster, extensively rebuilt ship with three triple 15-inch turrets, while influencing later Queen Elizabeth and King George V-class choices.

Notes

An Italian-style reconstruction could exchange a turret position for additional boilers and higher speed, producing a fast-battleship version of Warspite. One proposal goes further and substitutes three triple 15-inch turrets, giving the rebuilt ship nine guns. This would be an expensive reconstruction on the scale of the Italian examples. A successful result might encourage similar work on Queen Elizabeth and Valiant. Developing the triple mounting early enough could also give the King George V class an alternative if its 14-inch armament ran into difficulties, potentially using the 15-inch/45 gun then under development.