Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:31:00-2:32:55

A heavier Revenge class could gain speed

Raising the R class toward 28,000 tons could produce a better 25-knot battleship, while Renown already shows how Revenge materials became battlecruisers.

Battleship DesignQueen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsRenown Class BattlecruisersRevenge Class BattleshipsRoyal Navy
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Question

Would the Revenge-class battleships have been better on a larger Renown-like hull?

Short answer

A somewhat larger 27,500- to 28,000-ton design would be better and could plausibly reach about 25 knots, though a full Renown hull implies a battlecruiser trade.

Notes

Renown and Repulse were built by redirecting material intended for three Revenge-class battleships into two extended battlecruiser hulls. The completed R class displaced about 25,750 tons standard, roughly 1,750 tons less than a Queen Elizabeth. A preferred alternative would use the full Queen Elizabeth scale or about 28,000 tons for a better-balanced battleship. That margin could improve machinery and plausibly produce a 25-knot ship without abandoning the armored battle-line role. Apparently modest displacement savings can lock a class into lower speed and less growth room.