Video
HMS Renown 1895: KSS1 S10 Comment Response
BattleshipsFlagshipsHMS DreadnoughtHMS Renown 1895John FisherNaval CommandNaval CommunicationsNaval GunneryNaval HistoriographyRoyal NavyWarship ProcurementWireless Telegraphy
Study HMS Renown 1895: KSS1 S10 Comment Response, a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 28 Nov 2023, with 15 time notes. Topics include Battleships, Flagships, HMS Dreadnought.
Time notes
- 0:01Renown as Fisher's proto-battlecruiser testbedNotable Point
This is the 1895 Renown, rather than the later battlecruiser of the same name. Fisher used her to test ideas that foreshadowed the battlecruiser.
- 0:32QuestionDid anyone call HMS Renown Mrs Fisher because of Jacky Fisher's attachment to the ship?AnswerQ&A
No example is identified. Fisher probably would have found the joke amusing.
- 1:15QuestionWas extra room built into Renown specifically so she could serve as a flagship?AnswerQ&A
She was suited for flagship work through adaptable space, offices, and staff accommodation, although the advantage was as much organization as raw volume.
- 3:02How Fisher turned shipboard entertainment into naval politicsNotable Point
Fisher used Renown's cleared quarterdeck for dancing and other entertainment that helped him build political relationships and improve visitors' impressions of the Royal Navy.
- 7:21Why modernized battleships made awkward command hubsNotable Point
World War II battleships accumulated armor, fire-control equipment, radar, and radios in layouts never designed to support a large amphibious headquarters.
- 8:26Why Victorian flagship staffs stayed compactChapter
Renown relied on flags, lamps, and the ship's existing signalmen before reliable wireless created the staffing demands of a modern headquarters.
- 9:46The specialist officers in a Victorian flagship staffNotable Point
A fleet engineering officer, medical officer, secretary, flag lieutenant, chief of staff, and specialist signal or gunnery officers made up a compact but capable command team.
- 11:02Why modern amphibious command centers need so much spaceNotable Point
Albion and Bulwark illustrate how modern amphibious command ships integrate operations, intelligence, logistics, communications, and legal advice in real time.
- 13:15Renown overmatched cruisers without looking like a first-class battleshipNotable Point
A comparison with a contemporary French armored cruiser and the Kaiser Friedrich III class shows how Renown combined cruiser reach with battleship protection and diplomatic flexibility.
- 14:53Why Fisher kept Renown as his flagshipNotable Point
Fisher had the seniority to keep a familiar, maneuverable flagship and distrusted the unreliable engines of the newer battleship offered by the Admiralty.
- 16:30Fisher's tests rule out the Dreadnought 10-inch-gun mythNotable Point
Fisher's 1904 testing made 10-inch guns unattractive for both cruisers and battleships, leaving Dreadnought's serious debate between 12- and 14-inch weapons.
- 17:28How a plausible Dreadnought gun story became a mythNotable Point
The close timing of Fisher's gun tests and Invincible studies makes the 10-inch Dreadnought claim look plausible, but no document actually places it in the design debate.
- 18:10Gun availability made a 10-inch Dreadnought impracticalNotable Point
Britain had 12-inch guns ready and 14-inch weapons in development, while designing a new 45-caliber 10-inch gun could delay Dreadnought by about a year for less power.
- 19:20Andrew Lambert's Admirals as a starting point on FisherNotable Point
Andrew Lambert's Admirals is recommended for its profile of Jacky Fisher and its comparative treatment of other Royal Navy leaders.
- 20:16Comparative admiral history demands multilingual researchNotable Point
Comparable studies of Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and German admirals would require fluent access to several source languages.