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Following closely Cunniberti's article in ''Janes'', and the actions of both the Americans and Japanese, British Admiral and First Sea Lord [[John Fisher]] had plans of his own in mind. In late December, 1904 Fisher created a committee on designs to work on drafting a plan for a new battleship built to his specifications, which was to have a single caliber of big guns, and have the speed to dictate its own choosing of a place of battle.
Following closely Cunniberti's article in ''Janes'', and the actions of both the Americans and Japanese, British Admiral and First Sea Lord [[John Fisher]] had plans of his own in mind. In late December, 1904 Fisher created a committee on designs to work on drafting a plan for a new battleship built to his specifications, which was to have a single caliber of big guns, and have the speed to dictate its own choosing of a place of battle.
''Dreadnought'' was completed in only 427 days (and about 20% more expensive compared to previous ships), is considered the first modern battleship to be powered by steam turbines and its equipment with a single, heavy, main artillery of uniform caliber. The launch took place on 10 February 1906 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, and she was commissioned on December 3, 1906. Although she passed her sea trials as expected, ''Dreadnought'' had one major flaw: her main mast - specifically the access within the mast to her fighting top - was directly behind her forward funnel. This arrangement difficulty getting up to the fighting top due to the excessive heat, as well as obscuring visibility for the crew within.
''Dreadnought'' was flagship of the British Home Fleet from 1907 to 1909, and from 1907 to 1911 the flagship of the First Division. She belonged to the Grand Fleet in 1914, but was removed from it in 1916 because of its technical obsolescence (despite a 1911 retrofitting) and became the flagship of a squadron of older ships. Their only combat during the First World War consisted of the sinking of the German submarine U-29, and only by ramming. In February 1919, the ship was assigned to the reserve fleet, and one year later decommissioned. In May 1920 it was then sold for £44,000 pounds to Thos W Ward, a scrapping company in Scotland, and broken up in 1923.