Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:11:56-1:12:46

Why Nelson and Rodney suffer from unfair comparisons

Nelson and Rodney are often compared with the later generation they helped shape rather than with ships available when treaty limits fixed their design.

BattleshipsNaval HistoriographyNelson Class BattleshipsWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Did Nelson and Rodney deserve their reputation for being poor battleships?

Short answer

No; they were capable treaty-limited ships whose weaknesses look worse when they are compared mainly with later designs.

Notes

The two battleships acquired a poor reputation partly because almost no peer battleships were built in the same treaty moment. Retrospective comparisons therefore place them against faster King George V-class ships and other later designs. Their turret layout is awkward, and a somewhat longer, faster hull would be preferable, but those tradeoffs do not prove the class was a failure. Their protection and 16-inch battery were strong achievements within the Washington Treaty limit. An isolated design can be judged unfairly when its true contemporaries are missing.