Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 50:56-52:16

Converting R-class battleships into fast commerce hunters

Radically rebuilt R-class ships could add speed and nine 15-inch guns, but thinner protection would make them battlecruisers dependent on maneuver.

BattlecruisersCommerce WarfareNaval ModernisationRevenge Class BattleshipsRoyal Navy
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

What would happen if R-class battleships were rebuilt as faster ships with three triple 15-inch turrets?

Short answer

They would become dangerous fast battlecruisers for commerce warfare, but their limited armor would make maneuver and avoiding entrapment essential.

Notes

The hypothetical reconstruction replaces an R-class ship's old arrangement with three triple 15-inch turrets and much more machinery. Such a ship would accelerate the British battle line and create a fast force able to overwhelm detached enemy units. It would still be a battlecruiser because the conversion would not give it the armour needed to fight its way out after being pinned. Its value would lie in mobile commerce warfare and forcing an opponent to keep the fleet concentrated, rather than standing in a line-of-battle slugging match.