Notable Point · 39:39-41:54

Nelson's compact machinery and disputed top speed

Nelson came in below the treaty ceiling with a compact 45,000-shaft-horsepower plant, while reports of speeds above the official 23 knots complicate her slow-battleship reputation.

16-inch Guns Battleships F3 Class Battlecruisers Naval Architecture Naval Gunnery Naval Treaties Nelson Class Battleships Ship Propulsion Washington Naval Treaty

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Notes

Nelson displaced about 33,300 long tons standard rather than using the full 35,000-ton allowance. Eight boilers and two turbine sets produced the published 23-knot figure, although reports cited here suggest that Nelson and Rodney may have exceeded it by more than a couple of knots. F3's 96,000-shaft-horsepower plant shows how much machinery the selected design surrendered in exchange for protection and firepower. The compact hull still carried nine 16-inch guns, twelve 6-inch guns, torpedo tubes, and heavy belt, deck, turret, and conning-tower protection. The specification makes the official speed easier to judge as one part of a deliberate treaty tradeoff.

Source

Video: Nelson (1925)Class: The Story of Britain's Washington Treaty Battleships
Date: 26 Nov 2022
Time: 39:39-41:54
Kind: Notable Point

Transcript passages

39:39-41:54Nelson displaced 33,300 long tons standard and 37,780 long tons fully loaded; eight boilers and two turbine sets produced 45,000 shaft horsepower, an official 23 knots, and 7,000 nautical miles at 16 knots, though reports cited here suggest that she and Rodney may have exceeded the official speed by more than two knots. The ships carried nine 16-inch guns, twelve 6-inch guns, six 4.7-inch anti-aircraft guns, eight two-pounder anti-aircraft guns, and two 24.5-inch torpedo tubes, protected by a 13-to-14-inch belt, a 3.75-to-6.25-inch deck, 12-to-15-inch barbettes, 9-to-16-inch turrets, 6-to-14-inch conning-tower armor, and 4-to-12-inch bulkheads.