The comparison moves from the Admiral, Victoria, and Trafalgar classes to the balance and coherence of the Royal Sovereigns. Their hull form, gun arrangement, machinery, and materials belong to a new design generation. Their cleaner, more balanced appearance reinforces the distinction from the visually unfamiliar ironclad battleships that preceded them. Armour and other technologies also changed within a named family over time, even when the label remained fixed.
Chapter · 12:10-15:19
A new pattern for British battleships
Repulse’s hull, layout, armament, engines, and armour show why the Royal Sovereigns were more than a refinement of the Admiral class.