This is a list of dreadnought battleships of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.
In 1907, before the revolution in design brought about by of 1906, the United Kingdom had 62 battleships in commission or building, a lead of 26 over France and 50 over the German Empire. The launch of Dreadnought in 1906 prompted an arms race with major strategic consequences, as countries built their own dreadnoughts. Possession of modern battleships was not only vital to naval power, but also represented a nation's standing in the world. Germany, France, the Russian Empire, Japan, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and the United States all began dreadnought programmes; second-rank powers including the Ottoman Empire, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile commissioned dreadnoughts to be built in British and American shipyards.
The Royal Navy at the start of the First World War was the largest navy in the world due, in the most part, to the Naval Defence Act 1889 formalising the adoption of the "two-power standard" which called for the navy to maintain a number of battleships at least equal to the combined strength of the next two largest navies. The majority of the Royal Navy's strength was deployed at home in the Grand Fleet, with the primary aim of drawing the German High Seas Fleet into an engagement. The capital ships of the Royal Navy and the German Imperial Navy did come into contact on occasions, notably in the Battle of Jutland, but there was no decisive naval battle where one fleet came out the victor.
The inter-war period saw the battleship subjected to strict international limitations to prevent a costly arms race breaking out. Faced with the prospect of a naval arms race against Great Britain and Japan, which would in turn have led to a possible Pacific war, the United States was keen to conclude the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. This treaty limited the number and size of battleships that each major nation could possess, and required Britain to accept parity with the U.S. and to abandon the British alliance with Japan. The Washington treaty was followed by a series of other naval treaties to limit warship size and numbers, concluding with the Second London Naval Treaty in 1936. These treaties became effectively obsolete on 1 September 1939 at the beginning of Second World War.
The treaty limitations meant that fewer new battleships were launched from 1919–1939 than from 1905–1914. The treaties also inhibited development by putting maximum limits on the weights of ships and forced the Royal Navy into compromise designs for the Nelson and King George V classes. Designs like the projected British N3-class battleship continued the trend to larger ships with bigger guns and thicker armour, but never got off the drawing board. Those designs which were commissioned during this period were referred to as treaty battleships. After the Second World War, the Royal Navy's four surviving King George V-class ships were scrapped in 1957 and Vanguard followed in 1960. All other surviving British battleships had been sold or broken up by 1949.
Key Main guns The number and type of the main battery guns Armour Waterline belt thickness Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed generated Service The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate Laid down The date the keel began to be assembled Commissioned The date the ship was commissioned
HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought was the first dreadnought battleship, a classification to which she gave her name, and was born out of the minds of Vittorio Cuniberti and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John Fisher and the results of the Russo-Japanese War. She was the first large warship to use steam turbines, of which Dreadnought had two, from the Parsons company. They supplied four shafts that all told gave the long warship a revolutionary top speed of in spite of her displacement of . Dreadnoughts primary armament was a suite of ten 45-calibre Mk X 12-inch guns, arranged in such a way that only eight of her main guns could fire a broadside, and a secondary armament of ten 50-calibre 12-pounder guns and five torpedo tubes. Her belt armour ranged from to of Krupp armour. Dreadnought sparked a naval arms race that soon had all the world's major powers building new and bigger warships in her image. Although her concepts would be improved upon for decades, Dreadnoughts construction set an unbeaten record of 15 months for the fastest construction of a battleship ever.
From 1907 until 1911, Dreadnought served as the flagship of the Home Fleet until being replaced by in March 1911. Dreadnought was then assigned to the 1st Division of the Home Fleet, and was present at the Fleet Review for the coronation King George V. In December 1912, the ship was transferred from the 1st Battle Squadron and became the flagship of the 4th Squadron until 10 December 1914. While patrolling the North Sea on 18 March 1915, she rammed and sank , becoming the only battleship to have sunk a submarine. Dreadnought did not participate in the Battle of Jutland as she was undergoing a refit. Two years later, she resumed her role as flagship of the 4th Squadron, but was moved into the reserve in February 1920 and sold for scrap on 9 May 1921. She was broken up 2 January 1923.
Ship Main guns Armour Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate10 × 4 × shafts2 x Parsons turbines2 October 19052 December 1906Sold for scrap 9 May 1921
Bellerophon class
The Bellerophon-class battleships, , , and , were the first Royal Navy dreadnoughts to be built after Dreadnought, from 1906–1909. The sisters retained much of HMS Dreadnoughts design, such as her 45-calibre Mk X guns and their arrangement, but had changes like the relocation of the foremast behind the forward funnel and an improved secondary armament. The Bellerophon sisters were long and displaced and retained Dreadnoughts means of propulsion, two steam turbines powering four shafts, and her speed of . The thickness of the Bellerophons belt armour, at its thickest, was an inch thinner than that of Dreadnoughts at her thickest.
Upon commissioning, all three ships were assigned to the 1st division of the Home Fleet, later the 1st Battle Squadron, and took part in the Coronation Review for King George V. From 17–20 July 1914, all three took part in the mobilisation and review of the Royal Navy during the July Crisis following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Bellerophon and Superb joined the Home Fleet but Temeraire did not until 1915. All three ships participated in the Battle of Jutland, firing no more than 62 shells at the cruiser and the battle cruiser , but without success. Later, Bellerophon served as the junior flagship of the 4th Squadron from June to September 1917 while its usual flagship () was being refitted. Superb and Temeraire were transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, where Superb served as fleet flagship until the armistice. After the war, the now obsolete ships were placed in reserve. Temeraire became a training vessel until decommissioned and scrapped in 1921, Bellerophon was made a gunnery ship in March 1919 at The Nore and was sold for scrap 8 November 1921 and broken up 14 September 1922, and Superb relieved Bellerophon as a gunnery training vessel and then served briefly as a target ship before sold for scrapping in December 1923.
ShipMain gunsArmourDisplacementPropulsionServiceLaid downCommissionedFate 10 × 4 × shafts2 x Parsons turbines3 December 190627 February 1909Sold for scrap 8 November 19216 February 190729 May 1909Sold for scrap 12 December 19231 January 190715 May 1909Sold for scrap 7 December 1921
St Vincent class
The St Vincent-class was a line of three, originally four, dreadnought battleships, , , and . With the exception of their more powerful 50-calibre Mk XI (305 mm) main guns and twenty 50-calibre Mk VII (102 mm) secondaries, the St Vincent class closely followed the design of the . Two sets of Parsons steam turbines and the four shafts they powered gave the long sisters a top speed of despite a displacement of . Finally, the sisters were protected by a Krupp cemented armour belt thick, as was the case for the Bellerophon class.
Upon commissioning, the St Vincent-class battleships were all assigned to the 1st Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet. The ships were present at the Coronation Review of King George V on 24 June 1911 and HMS Collingwood became the flagship of the 1st Squadron two days later. After a lengthy refit in mid-1914, the sisters participated in the mobilisation and British responses to the July Crisis and joined the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow on 22 July 1914. All three sisters participated in the Battle of Jutland and fired upon ; Collingwood and Vanguard also fired at and . The three sisters inflicted little damage, despite firing 98 shots during the battle. After the battle, Collingwood and St Vincent joined their sister Vanguard in the 4th Squadron, who had been transferred there in April 1916, and continued to serve with the Home Fleet until the end of the war. On 9 July 1917, one of Vanguards magazines exploded, killing 840 of her crew and two Australian sailors aboard . After the war, St Vincent became a gunnery training ship March 1919, before being made the flagship of the Reserve Fleet in June. In December, she was relieved and then sold for scrap 1 December 1921. Collingwood was also assigned to the Reserve Fleet, briefly served as a training vessel, and then was also sold for scrap 12 December 1922.
Ship Main guns Armour Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 10 × 4 × shafts2 x Parsons turbines30 December 19073 May 1910Sold for scrap 1 December 1921 3 February 190819 April 1910Sold for scrap 12 December 1922 2 April 19081 March 1910Sunk by internal explosion 9 July 1917
HMS Neptune
HMS Neptune, the only ship of her class, was the only battleship constructed during the 1908–1909 Naval Programme, and was the first British battleship to use superfiring gun turrets. She retained the 50-calibre Mk XI (305 mm) guns of the , belt armour, and the top speed of and the two Parsons steam turbines and their four shafts that produced that speed. Neptune, however, was longer at and displaced , 20 less than the St Vincent class. Her secondary weapons also made her unique from the preceding class, as her 50-calibre Mk VII secondary guns did not have shielding in the superstructure, a first for British dreadnoughts.
HMS Neptune was commissioned on 19 January 1909. She replaced as the flagship of the Home Fleet and of the 1st Division 25 March 1909, two weeks after the completion of sea trials. Neptune then participated in the Coronation review of King George V, was replaced as the Home Fleet's flagship by 10 March 1914, and then participated in the British naval response to the July Crisis from 17–20 July 1914. She participated in many Royal Navy actions until the Battle of Jutland, at which she fired 48 main battery shells, scoring several ineffectual or unconfirmed hits of and and an assortment of German destroyers. After Jutland, she was transferred to the 4th Battle Squadron and never again saw combat. Neptune was placed in the reserve 1 February 1919 and sold for scrap in September 1922.
Ship Main guns Armour Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 10 × 4 × shafts2 x Parsons turbines19 January 190911 January 1911Sold for scrap September 1922
Colossus class