Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 37:24-38:59

Why Renown is the chosen Royal Navy capital ship

Renown is selected as the preferred surviving Royal Navy capital ship, ahead of other strong candidates such as Illustrious and Warspite.

BattlecruisersCapital ShipsHMS RenownRoyal Navy
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Question

Which Second World War Royal Navy capital ship would you most want preserved?

Short answer

HMS Renown, although HMS Illustrious and HMS Warspite are also compelling choices for different reasons.

Notes

The choice separates an institutional case from a personal favourite. HMS Illustrious would represent the armoured carrier, while HMS Warspite offers an exceptionally strong service history. The personal choice is HMS Renown because of a particular enthusiasm for the Renown class. Their combination of speed and capital-ship power also supports the suggestion that further ships with triple turrets could have continued the concept.