Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:41:19-4:41:58

The Lord Nelson class arrived after Dreadnought

Britain's final pre-dreadnoughts were reliable ships, but they entered service after Dreadnought and carried an awkward mixture of single and twin secondary turrets.

Battleship DesignLord Nelson Class BattleshipsPre-DreadnoughtsRoyal Navy
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Question

How should the Lord Nelson-class pre-dreadnoughts be judged?

Short answer

They were reliable and generally good ships, but commissioned after Dreadnought and carried an unnecessarily awkward secondary-turret arrangement.

Notes

The Lord Nelson class consisted of good, dependable ships rather than failed pre-dreadnoughts. Their historical irony is that the last British examples of the type commissioned after HMS Dreadnought had already changed the battleship standard. The secondary battery's combination of forward single turrets and other twin mountings is difficult to justify. The single mounts added complexity without delivering a clear operational benefit, illustrating how a sound ship can still preserve an awkward design compromise.