Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:02:40-1:05:29

A 26.5-knot Queen Elizabeth class in two world wars

Higher original speed gives the Queen Elizabeth class range control in 1916 and makes a 28-knot interwar modernization plausible.

Battle Of JutlandBattle of the AtlanticDenmark StraitFast BattleshipsQueen Elizabeth Class Battleships
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

How would 26.5-knot Queen Elizabeth-class battleships affect the First and Second World Wars?

Short answer

They would control more First World War engagements and could modernize into 28-knot ships useful in fast Second World War operations.

Notes

At 26.5 knots the class would remain slower than the battlecruiser line but could dictate range against the High Seas Fleet, while German scouting battlecruisers would not welcome a running fight with heavily armed British battleships. Later machinery work might lift them to about 28 knots, expanding their Mediterranean and Atlantic usefulness and even making a modernized Queen Elizabeth-class ship a plausible partner for Prince of Wales at Denmark Strait.