![]() She was the first battleship to be powered by steam turbines and the first to be constructed to burn a mixture of fuel and oil, although others had been converted to do so. The range of guns was increasing, making the old tactic of overwhelming ships with a hail of fire from many guns at short range obsolete. A single calibre armament was both more powerful than a mixed one and superior for fire control purposes. Pre-dreadnoughts were made obsolete in 1906 by HMS Dreadnought, which carried an armament of 10 12 inch guns, supplemented by only 24 12 pounders to deal with torpedo boats. Some pre-dreadnoughts carried an intermediate battery of 8-10 inch guns in order to increase their firepower against enemy battleships. A secondary battery, most commonly of 6 inch guns, although some had smaller or larger guns, was intended to deal with smaller opponents. They normally had a main armament of four 12 inch guns, although some had smaller but faster firing main guns. Pre-dreadnought battleships carried a number of guns of differing calibres, which were intended to carry out different roles. The only other countries with dreadnoughts were Brazil and Argentina, with two each, and Spain, which had one in service and two more building. Some numbers are given as ranges because of doubts over the usefulness of some older vessels. Nine small and old US submarines, based in the Philippines, that were suitable only for coastal defence are excluded. One of the Japanese battlecruisers building was completed in August 1914. ![]() ![]() The Baltic and Black Sea ones contained all the battleships, armoured cruisers and planned dreadnoughts. Its Asian one was small and consisted mostly of old ships. In the words of Robert Massie, she ‘was the supreme embodiment of the armoured cruiser.’ The German SMS Blücher is classified as an armoured cruiser above because she was armed with 8.2 inch guns. German numbers include a dreadnought that was never completed and a battlecruiser and a light cruiser that were transferred to the Ottoman Empire just after the outbreak of war. Another Chilean dreadnought under construction in Britain that was completed as a British aircraft carrier is not included. There were fears that the Ottoman ones might be sold to Germany, which would have left the RN below its target of a 60 per cent margin over Germany. 7-20.īritish numbers include the Royal Australian Navy’s battlecruiser and three light cruisers and three dreadnoughts being built in Britain for foreign countries that were requisitioned for the RN at the outbreak of war two that had just been completed for the Ottoman Empire and a Chilean one that was still under construction. Halpern, A Naval History of World War I, (London: UCL Press, 1994), pp. However, navies also had a large number of other types of warships. The Press, public and politicians measured the strength of navies by the number of dreadnought battleships and battlecruisers. This was then the German navy Germany was the only one of the world’s leading naval powers that Britain was then likely to fight. In 1912 this was replaced by a measure of a 60 per cent superiority to the second largest navy. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, supported by Kaiser Wilhelm II, had attempted to create a German navy that could match the RN, but the British had comfortably maintained their lead in the subsequent naval arms race.īritain had traditionally aimed to have a navy that was equal in strength to the next two in the world, the two power standard. 1:2400 with its smaller movement distances allows actions to be fought on a smaller table while still allowing wind to move the battle along.In 1914 the British Royal Navy (RN) remained the largest in the world. These larger battles do look great in 1:1200 but the constant wind drift either requires very long tables or frequent re-adjustment of ships back up the table. Fleet packs are also available for these periods.ġ:2400 allows for the re-fighting of large scale actions under sail including Trafalgar on a relatively small table. Ships are supplied with separate masts and a separate base. The Hallmark range covers sailing ships from the Renaissance through the Napoleonic Wars to the 19th Century. Destroyers and Submarines are sold in packs of 3 or 4, Light Cruisers, Heavy Cruisers, Battleships, Dreadnoughts, Merchant Ships and Aircraft Carriers are sold singly. The GHQ range covers everything from pre-dreadnought onwards and comprises some of the most detailed model ships you are ever likely to see. The periods included are: Renaissance Galleys, Age of Sail, American War of Independence, French Revolution, Napoleonic, 19th Century, Lissa, Pre Dreadnought, World War 1, World War 2 and Modern. The 1:2400 ship range covers both Hallmark and GHQ.
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