Q&A ยท 2:13:20-2:14:07

What steel warships would change at Trafalgar

A hypothetical fleet replacement leads to a comparison of rapid-firing destroyer guns and large shells passing through wooden ships.

Question

What would happen if most British ships at Trafalgar were replaced by later steel ships bearing their names?

Short answer

The replacement fleet would be overwhelmingly destructive, with Battle-class destroyers offered as particularly effective examples.

Notes

The scenario excludes Victory, Achilles, and Tonnant and substitutes later namesakes for the other British ships. Battle-class destroyers prompt a comparison between rapid-firing 4.5-inch guns and much larger 15-inch weapons. In this hypothetical assessment, the smaller shells would burst in wooden ships while the larger ones could pass straight through. The point concerns shell behaviour as well as the size of the gun.