Difference between revisions of "HMS Dreadnought"
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | The beginnings of what would become HMS ''Dreadnought'' can be traced partially to the chief constructor of the [[Italian Navy]], Vittorio Cuniberti. He was responsible for the design and construction of a number of | + | The beginnings of what would become HMS ''Dreadnought'' can be traced partially to the chief constructor of the [[Italian Navy]], Vittorio Cuniberti. He was responsible for the design and construction of a number of warships, including the ''Vittorio Emmanuelle'' class of four light battleships bearing two 12-inch guns and twelve 8-inch guns each. Although rejected from building a new, more heavily-armed and armored design, Cuniberti received permission to write an article for ''Janes Fighting Ships''; published in the 1903 edition, the premise for a 17,000 ton warship bearing twelve 12-inch guns affected naval planners and tacticians around the world. Independently, however, [[United States|American]] and [[Japan]]ese designers came to similar conclusions: in the spring of 1904 the [[United States Navy]] presented to [[Congress]] a request for two 16,000-ton battleships bearing eight 12-inch guns, and the following year Japan laid down the keels for a pair of battleships weighing in at 20,000 tons, with four 12-inch and twelve 10-inch guns each. |
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. | ||
Revision as of 07:47, April 22, 2010
| HMS Dreadnought | |
|---|---|
| |
| Career | |
| Flag |  
|
| Owner | Royal Navy, United Kingdom |
| Shipyard | His Majesty's Dockyard Portsmouth, England |
| Type | Battleship |
| Authorized | 1905 |
| Keel laid | 2 October 1905 |
| Launched | 10 February 1906 |
| Commissioned | 2 December 1906 |
| Status | Sold for scrapping, 9 May 1921 |
| Characteristics | |
| Displacement | 18,420 tons |
| Length | 527 feet |
| Beam | 82 feet |
| Draft | 26 feet |
| Speed | 21 knots |
| Armament | Ten 12-inch main guns twenty-seven 5-inch guns five 18-inch torpedo tubes |
| Crew | 770 officers and men |
HMS Dreadnought was a British battleship early in the 20th Century. The first warship to mount a single main battery of large caliber guns and the first to be powered by turbine engines, Dreadnought was so revolutionary that she rendered current navies obsolete, sparked an arms race between Great Britain and Germany, caused other nations to invest heavily in all big-gun capitol ships, and gave her very name to the first generation of battleships which followed.
History
The beginnings of what would become HMS Dreadnought can be traced partially to the chief constructor of the Italian Navy, Vittorio Cuniberti. He was responsible for the design and construction of a number of warships, including the Vittorio Emmanuelle class of four light battleships bearing two 12-inch guns and twelve 8-inch guns each. Although rejected from building a new, more heavily-armed and armored design, Cuniberti received permission to write an article for Janes Fighting Ships; published in the 1903 edition, the premise for a 17,000 ton warship bearing twelve 12-inch guns affected naval planners and tacticians around the world. Independently, however, American and Japanese designers came to similar conclusions: in the spring of 1904 the United States Navy presented to Congress a request for two 16,000-ton battleships bearing eight 12-inch guns, and the following year Japan laid down the keels for a pair of battleships weighing in at 20,000 tons, with four 12-inch and twelve 10-inch guns each.
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.