Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:34-6:24

Could eight boilers have made Warspite a fast battleship?

An engineering counterfactual explores whether two additional boilers could have pushed reconstructed Warspite toward 28 knots despite space, cost, and treaty constraints.

Fast BattleshipsHMS WarspiteMarine EngineeringQueen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsShip ModernisationTreaty Displacement
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Question

Could Warspite's reconstruction have accommodated eight boilers without unacceptable heat, fuel, or space penalties?

Short answer

Probably, with extra cost and substantial rearrangement. A rough estimate puts an eight-boiler Warspite at about 28 knots.

Notes

Warspite's reconstruction replaced 24 boilers with six Admiralty three-drum boilers. Rated power fell from about 75,000 to 72,000 shaft horsepower, and top speed dropped from 24 to 23 knots. Spaces once associated with coal storage may have allowed eight boilers after substantial rearrangement. A rough calculation puts the larger plant at about 96,000 shaft horsepower and perhaps 28 knots. The estimate is deliberately tentative, and the extra machinery would have added cost, time, and treaty-displacement pressure while forcing savings elsewhere in the ship.