HMS Dreadnought: First and Foremost!
Learn about the world’s first modern battleship!
You’ll often hear how HMS Dreadnought made every other battleship obsolete overnight, when she was launched in 1906. That’s because this is not too far from the truth.
The effect she had on naval engineering was so important that this ship’s name is now synonymous with the ship type that would dominate the seas for decades, serving as the basis for the largest and most powerful battleships in history. In Portsmouth, on February 10th, 1906, the era of the Dreadnought began.
History
During the late 1800s, the main principles of naval tactics revolved around old methods of close-range formation combat, with a maximum engagement range of about 2 km. Warships were often armed with a mix of large, mid, and small caliber guns, which were expected to overwhelm the armor of enemy ships in unison, with their sheer amount of (sporadic and inaccurate) firepower.
Significant improvements in gunnery and optics at the turn of the century allowed for increased range and superior accuracy, meaning that the range of engagement could be extended considerably beyond the widely accepted 2 km. However, problems arose with the smaller caliber weapons, considered an essential part of warships’ battle plans, which were far less effective at these longer ranges. As a result, naval engineers at this point began to consider the efficiency of an all-big-gun battleship, with practical spotting and fire control systems that could keep a constant healthy distance when engaging.
Trials with large guns were conducted and the conclusion was reached that the damage potential of large and accurate guns could render secondary armament useless by the time their effective range was reached. Having the main armament uniform in caliber also meant fewer types of ammunition to be stored, the potential for crew to be easily transferred between guns, and fewer calculations needed for the accurate firing of different calibers.
Then there was the variable of speed, which fit comfortably into the new equation being composed. If naval engagements were to be decided at a distance, it would be decisive to have a speed advantage over your opponents in order to be able to outmaneuver them and stay at your ship’s ideal range.
Following this line of thought, in 1903, Italian engineer Vittorio Cuniberti proposed an ‘ideal battleship’ with armament of a uniform caliber, that caught the eye of British Admiral John ‘Jacky’ Fisher. He would become First Sea Lord a year later, and with his newfound influence and revolutionary attitude, he quickly ordered a study to be made about the viability of this concept. Soon afterwards a design proposal was put forward.
The design was visibly different from battleships that had been built up until that point. The new design had a grand total of ten 305 mm guns and a secondary battery of single caliber (76 mm) guns around the superstructure. The latter were intended for defense against small targets such as torpedo boats and not expected to be dealing consistent damage in fleet engagements. To solve the issue of speed, the design incorporated a steam turbine engine, a first for a warship of her size. This allowed for a top cruising speed of 21 knots, making her the fastest battleship to date.
This new ship bore the historical English name Dreadnought, roughly meaning ‘one that fears nothing’. She was laid down at Portsmouth in October 1905 and swiftly launched the following February, finally being commissioned in December 1906.
Modeling the ship
Main Battery: ten 12-inch (305 mm) Mark X guns in five twin turrets. Three of these were placed along the centerline: one fore, two aft (one between the main superstructure and a mast); and the other two were placed on either side of the forward superstructure. This arrangement allowed for six guns to be firing either forward or aft at a given time. With use of the turret amidships, Dreadnought was able to fire an eight-gun broadside.
Secondary Armament: twenty-seven 76-mm QF (Quick Fire) 12-pounder 18 cwt Mark I guns distributed across the main deck on elevated positions, around the superstructure, as well as on the roofs of the main battery turrets. With the advent of effective military aircraft in World War I, two of these small guns would be adapted with high-angle mounts in 1917 to function as makeshift anti-aircraft cannons. Dreadnought’s designers encountered difficulties when positioning these unprotected guns, as the blast from the main battery guns when firing would damage the guns and their crews if placed too near.
Armor: Going up to 330 mm on the main turrets and 279 mm on the main belt, Dreadnought was a very well-armored ship for her time, though not too dissimilar to that of the pre-all-big-gun battleship designs. Battleship armor would only get thicker with time as naval gunnery improved and different ways of counteracting strong armor were employed. One of the reasons that battleships as a warship class disappeared after World War II, is that the amount of armor needed to counteract modern weaponry became so great that the ships stopped being effective.
Service Record
After successful completion, this legendary ship’s first assignment in her short career was to conduct extensive trials at sea to test her combat effectiveness. The officers involved were clearly impressed by the performance of the first functioning all-big-gun battleship. The same could also be said for the foreign observers who caught wind of the new design and watched intently, considering the viability of creating reproductions themselves. Surely enough, in the coming months and years, naval powers across the globe began constructing their own Dreadnought-style capital ships, applying pressure to the Royal Navy and inspiring a world-wide arms race on a scale that had never previously been seen.
This situation escalated to the point that by the start of World War I, barely a decade later, so-called super-dreadnoughts were being built, with heavier guns, larger boilers and thicker armor protection. The all-big-gun model was a resounding success, and by the beginning of the First World War, HMS Dreadnought appeared to be a rather unremarkable warship in comparison to the many improved spin-offs already operating in the Royal Navy.
At the time of her commissioning, Dreadnought was the most powerful weapon on the planet, and as such she was ceremoniously put into service as Flagship of the Home Fleet until 1911. In 1912, she became Flagship of the North Sea 4th Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet, based in Scapa Flow, where she would remain for most of the First World War. Dreadnought’s war service was somewhat uneventful for a ship of such renown, staying mostly in home waters either on patrol or occupying defensive positions.
Dreadnought’s single naval action was, however, quite remarkable. On 18 March 1915, after completing exercises in the North Sea, Dreadnought was on her way back to port when an officer on deck sighted a periscope: moving erratically in the water some 1,400 meters straight ahead was German submarine U-29. The battleship quickly engaged ramming speed and set a course to intercept. The Submarine commander must not have noticed the battleship approaching, as no attempts were made to dive or flee. That changed when one of Dreadnought’s 76 mm guns fired at the small target from 550 meters, barely missing it, but it was too late for the submarine to react. U-29 turned sharply to starboard and Dreadnought quickly followed suit, ramming the side of the submarine. The sub’s bow was severed, rising steeply out of the water, then passing down Dreadnought’s side before sinking seconds later. For this action, Dreadnought is still credited for being the only battleship to sink a submarine in combat.
In 1916, Dreadnought missed out on the Battle of Jutland, as she was undergoing a refit at the time, and her only other instance of action during the war was the firing of her anti-aircraft weapons at German bombers passing over the port of Chatham. With the end of the war in 1918, Dreadnought was placed in reserve, and finally sold for scrap in 1921. Though this battleship never fought any significant battle and was virtually obsolete twelve years after launching, HMS Dreadnought remains one of the most important battleships in history, and certainly changed naval warfare forever.
Originally published on the official World of Warships site.
