Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:55:20-2:56:22

Extra displacement would not make every First World War battleship faster

Additional displacement would likely go into armor or armament for Revenge-class ships, while Queen Elizabeths could gain only a modest speed improvement.

Alternate HistoryBattleshipsNaval PropulsionQueen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsRevenge Class BattleshipsWarship Design
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Question

How fast would substantially larger Queen Elizabeth- and Revenge-class battleships be?

Short answer

A Queen Elizabeth might gain modestly to roughly 26 or 27 knots, while a larger Revenge would more likely spend the displacement on armor or guns than speed.

Notes

The Revenge design was intended as a cheaper battle-line counterpart to the Queen Elizabeths, rather than a fast-battleship project. A larger Revenge would therefore be more likely to gain protection or a fifth turret, whereas a larger Queen Elizabeth might reach about 26 or 27 knots but would not become a 29-knot ship. Additional displacement does not dictate where designers spend it, so a larger hull cannot be converted mechanically into a speed estimate. The existing doctrine and intended place in the battle line make protection and armament the more likely priorities for Revenge.