Nelson's chosen design paired nine 16-inch guns with a belt that reached fourteen inches over the shell rooms and thirteen inches over the machinery. Twelve 6-inch guns formed the secondary battery, while 4.7-inch anti-aircraft guns, two-pounders, and two submerged torpedo tubes completed the listed armament. Eight Admiralty three-drum boilers supplied two geared turbine sets producing 45,000 shaft horsepower for a designed speed of 23 knots. At 33,800 tons standard displacement, the ship sat about 1,200 tons below the treaty ceiling despite its concentrated protection. The specification tour shows where the design spent weight and why the submerged torpedo tubes could be judged expendable in favor of more propulsion power.
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What Nelson carried at 33,800 tons
A specification tour shows how Nelson combined nine 16-inch guns, concentrated armour, and a compact 23-knot machinery plant while remaining below the treaty limit.