Battlecruisers

World War 1 Naval Combat

World War 1 Naval Combat

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Princess Royal Princess Royal with Lion in the background.  The Lion class were the battlecruiser equivalent of the Orion class "Super Dreadnoughts", being the first battlecruisers with 13.5inch main guns and the first with all centreline turrets although they still retained the mid-ships Q turret with its limited firing arcs.  As was common with British battlecruisers official leaks credited them with much greater speed and armour than they actually possessed, Princess Royal being credited with a speed of over 34 knots!!

British

Invincible Class
HMS Invincible, Inflexible, Indomitable Laid down 1906, completed 1908-1909.

Indefatigable Class
HMS Indefatigable, New Zealand, HMAS Australia Laid down 1909-1910, completed 1911-1913.

Lion
HMS Lion, Princess Royal Laid down 1909-1910, completed 1912.

Queen Mary Class
HMS Queen Mary Laid down 1911, completed 1912.

Tiger Class
HMS Tiger Laid down 1912, completed 1914.

Renown Class
HMS Renown, Repulse Laid down 1915, completed 1916.

Renown and her sister Repulse were designed and built quickly during the war after the return of Admiral Fisher as First Sea Lord.  Whilst fast they had very weak armour and were not well received by the Grand Fleet when they entered service just after Jutland.  Despite this both ships survived until World War 2 where they saw extensive service, Repulse being sunk. Renown

Germany

Von der Tann Class
SMS Von der Tann Laid down 1908, completed 1911.

Moltke Class
SMS Moltke, Goeben Laid down 1908-1909, completed 1912.

Seydlitz Class
SMS Seydlitz Laid down 1911, completed 1913.

Derfflinger Class
SMS Derfflinger, Lutzow Laid down 1912, completed 1914-1915.

Hindenburg Class
SMS Hindenburg Laid down 1913 , completed 1917.

Hindenburg Hindenburg was the last battlecruiser of any nation to enter service during the war.  She was very similar to the preceding Derfflinger class, an indication that despite the loss of Lützow they were considered a successful design.

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