The British super-battleship is built around twelve 18-inch guns, a heavy 9.2-inch secondary battery, dual-purpose weapons and a target speed of 28 knots. Turrets, ammunition, machinery and protection push the game design thousands of tons overweight. Reducing armour and internal-protection settings brings it within the allowance before further changes to the secondary battery. Long-range penetrating fire and aircraft are expected to be its principal enemies, making deck protection a continuing concern. Pitch remains unexpectedly high even with a relatively small fore-and-aft weight offset. This stage establishes the proposed ship's armament and protection compromises before its combat test.
Notable Point · 2:07:03-2:25:12
Designing an 18-inch super-battleship
An immense British counterfactual balances twelve 18-inch guns, a heavy secondary battery, 28-knot speed, and long-range protection.