Hood 1928
Hood 1940
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Hood | 51 | John Brown, Clydebank | 31/5/1916, again 1/9/1916 | 22/8/1918 | 5/1920 | sunk 24/5/1941 |
| Rodney | Fairfield, Govan | 9/10/1916 | --- | --- | cancelled 1918 | |
| Howe | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | 16/10/1916 | --- | --- | cancelled 1918 | |
| Anson | Armstrong, Elswick | 9/11/1917 | --- | --- | cancelled 1918 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
42670 |
|
Displacement full, t |
46680 |
|
Length, m |
262.1 |
|
Breadth, m |
31.7 |
|
Draught, m |
8.7 |
|
No of shafts |
4 |
|
Machinery |
Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, 24 Yarrow boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
144000 |
|
Max speed, kn |
31 |
|
Fuel, t |
3895 oil |
|
Armour, mm |
main belt: 305, intermediate belt: 178, upper belt: 127, bulkheads: 127 - 102, turrets: 381 (face) - 305 - 280 (sides) - 280 (rear) - 127 (roof), barbettes: 305 - 127, deck Protection: (76 with 51-mm slopes) + 51 + 51 over magazines or (51 - 38 with 51-m slopes) + (51 - 19) over machinery, CT: 280 - 76 |
|
Armament |
4 x 2 - 381/42 Mk I, 12 x 1 - 140/50 BL Mk I, 4 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 x 1 - 47/40 Hotchkiss, 6 - 533 TT (beam) |
|
Complement |
1477 |
Ship project history: Hood personified power of the Royal
Navy throughout twenty years, being the largest warship in the world.
She was originally designed as an experimental battleship
with arms, protection and machinery as Queen Elizabeth class but with the new
hull with moderated draught and the improved torpedo defense system, but very
quickly the designing direction was displaced towards increase in velocity and,
accordingly, Protection easing. Result was the increased Renown with fourth main
turret and slightly thicker protection. Hood was laid down 31/5/1916, however
the Jutland battle which has taken place in this day has forced to reconsider
the project completely towards cardinal strengthening of protection. The
thickness of the main belt has increased in one and a half time (with 203 to 305mm), and its height is increased.
Protection of turrets has improved, however a
thickness of decks has changed slightly. Hood was re-laid in September, 1916,
but ultimately the project has been approved in Admiralty only 30/8/1917, in a
year after the building beginning: a unprecedented case in history of British
shipbuilding. For this term three-gun 15`` turrets have appeared in the design,
and then have disappeared. The ultimate project have returned to initial idea of
a high-speed variant of Queen Elizabeth, but it was reached by displacement
growth in one and a half time - to 42 670/46 680ts.
Protection: Main 305mm belt extended between barbettes "A" and "Y" and was 2.89m in height, its lower edge connected with main deck slopes. Its thickness decreased to stem up to 152 and 127mm consequently and to stern up to 152mm. 305mm belt area closed by 127mm fore and 102mm aft bulkheads. 178mm intermediate belt between end barbettes was 2.75m in height. Upper 127mm belt connected with forecastle deck. Thickness of hull plating was 51mm (38mm at ship ends). Ship sides and belts were inclined at 120 to the vertical. Main belt was closed by bulges as its inside bulkhead and extended to the double bottom as 38mm torpedo bulkhead. Underwater Protection deep was 3.1m.
Main deck was 76mm in flat part over magazines and 51 - 38mm over machinery. There were 51mm slopes. This deck was flat outside citadel and was 25mm fore and 51mm aft from end barbettes. Intermediate deck disposed under the main deck level at full length except for machinery. Its thickness was 25mm, increasing to 76mm over steering gear and 51mm over magazines. Upper deck laid over main deck between end barbettes and was 19mm (51mm over magazines). Thickness of forecastle deck was 51 - 32mm (38mm over fore magazines).
Barbettes protected by 305mm armor over main deck, armor thickness under main deck changed from 305 - 229mm (aft side of the "Y" barbette) and 254mm (fore side of the "A" barbette) to 152 - 127mm.
Modernizations: 5/1931: + 2 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 1 catapult F-IV-H with 1 seaplane, fuel tanks capacity increased to 4615ts of oil, displacement: 45693 (normal) / 48000ts.
6/1932: - 1 catapult with plane; + 2 x 4 - 12.7/62
12/1937: - 2 - 533 TT; + 2 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 1 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62
6/1938: - 2 x 1 - 140/50; + 2 x 1 - 102/40 QF Mk IV
6/1939: - 2 x 1 - 102/40; + 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI
8/1939: - 6 x 1 - 102/45; + 2 x 1 - 140/50 BL Mk I
5/1940: - 12 x 1 - 140/50; + 3 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI, 5 x 20 - 178 UP rockets projectors
3/1941: + type 284 radar
Naval service: Hood blew up in action against battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. One or more 380mm shells hits main shells magazine, 1419 men lost.
Hood 1920
Hood 1937
© Ivan Gogin, 2009