King George V Class, British Battleships

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Specifications:

The King George Vs were completed just prior to the Pacific War. Nevertheless, they gave a distinct impression of obsolescence. Armor protection was excellent, with a deep belt resistant to underwater shell hits and an underwater protection system rated as capable of withstanding a full 1000 lbs (454 kg) of TNT. But speed was unexceptional and endurance was poor due to the use of machinery whose high standard of workmanship could not compensate for poor design. The ships had 14” (356mm) guns versus 16” (406mm) on contemporary battleships of the other powers. Antiaircraft protection was dismal due to poor fire control, a weakness found throughout the Royal Navy due to a politically-driven decision in the interwar years to adopt an inferior antiaircraft director technology. The design of the 5.25" heavy antiaircraft guns has also been criticized.

Their most distinctive feature was the mounting of ten guns in three turrets, requiring the use of one double and two quadruple turrets. Originally, the class was planned to have three quadruple turrets, but the weight saved by replacing one of the quadruple turrets with a twin turret was put to use in the armor system. One might anticipate difficulties with cramped turrets and closely spaced barrels, and the quadruple turrets have been widely criticized. The actual firing cycle in historical engagements was closer to 45 seconds than the design value of 30 seconds.

The use of 14" guns was driven by the British position on arms limitations. Britain wished to revert to a 14" gun limit at the Second London Conference contingent on Japan accepting the limit. Both Britain and the United States then began working on designs for 14" gun battleships. The U.S. design was such that the guns could be readily switched to 16" if Japan renounced the limit. British designers found the complications of designing a barbette for either caliber daunting and committed themselves to the 14" plan. Japan renounced the limit and the U.S. promptly proceeded with the 16" variant. The British took scant comfort in being able to begin commissioning their new battleships a few months earlier than either of the other two powers.

The ships were designed to fight at significantly closer ranges than battleships of other powers. The inner edge of the immune zone was set at 17,200 yards (15,700m) versus 20,000 yards (18,300m) for the American North Carolinas, and the fire control stations were located lower in the ships than in their foreign counterparts. Overall, the ships reflected a design philosophy which assumed combat would take place in the North Sea under conditions of uncertain visibility. This meant that combat at extremely long range was unlikely and high endurance was unnecessary.

The underwater protection system was less effective in practice than on paper, as was demonstrated during the sinking of Prince of Wales in the first days of the Pacific War. Part of this was bad luck, in that two of the torpedoes hit near the propeller shafts and the distorted shafts tore open the hull and inner bulkheads. But postwar analysts concluded that the system could not have been capable of protecting against the charge of explosives it was credited with in contemporary tests and have suggested the test explosives were not properly confined. The protection system was also too shallow, allowing the deck above to rupture and flood.

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References

Brown (2000)

Friedman (2008)

Gogin (2010; accessed 2012-12-26)
Whitley (1998)

Worth (2001)

The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2012-2014, 2017 by Kent G. Budge. Index

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