Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:10:31-2:14:22

How the panel would modernize HMS Warspite

The preferred refit improves gun performance and machinery, while a longer finer hull could recover speed lost to bulges if treaty tonnage can be managed.

Capital Ship ModernisationHMS WarspiteMarine EngineeringNaval GunneryQueen Elizabeth Class Battleships
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Question

How would the panel improve HMS Warspite during an interwar modernization?

Short answer

Upgrade the 15-inch guns and machinery, and consider lengthening the hull to recover speed while carefully managing weight and treaty limits.

Notes

The main battery would receive longer 15-inch guns where feasible, or the full historical elevation and supercharge improvements. New boilers and turbines would seek at least a short-duration speed near 28 knots. Lengthening the hull could restore finer lines after bulging, improving efficiency without discarding protection, but it would add weight and cost. Reducing boiler count historically freed tonnage for other upgrades, whereas retaining more boilers demands creative management of treaty displacement. The panel treats machinery, hull form, armament, and legal tonnage as one integrated design problem rather than independent wish-list items.