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fighting ships of the world

ROYAL NAVY (UNITED KINGDOM)

CAPITAL SHIPS & MONITORS

KING GEORGE V battleships

King George V 1940

Anson 1946

 

Displacement standard, t	36727
Displacement full, t	42076
Length, m	213.4 pp 227.1 oa
Breadth, m	31.4
Draught, m	8.84 (9.90 mean at deep load)
No of shafts	4
Machinery	Parsons geared steam turbines, 8 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	110000
Max speed, kn	28
Fuel, t	3700 oil, later 4030
Endurance, nm(kts)	15600(10)
Armour, mm	belt: 381 - 114, bulkheads: 305 - 102, barbettes: 330 - 279, turrets: 330 - 152, CT: 114 - 51, secondary guns: 51 - 25, deck: 152 - 64
Armament	King George V: 2 x 4 - 356/45 Mk VII, 1 x 2 - 356/45 Mk VII, 8 x 2 - 133/50 QF Mk I, 4 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 20 - 178 UP rockets projectors, 1 catapult D-III-H, 2 seaplanes (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox) Prince of Wales: 2 x 4 - 356/45 Mk VII, 1 x 2 - 356/45 Mk VII, 8 x 2 - 133/50 QF Mk I, 4 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 1 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 3 x 20 - 178 UP rockets projectors, 1 catapult D-III-H, 2 seaplanes (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox) Duke of York: 2 x 4 - 356/45 Mk VII, 1 x 2 - 356/45 Mk VII, 8 x 2 - 133/50 QF Mk I, 6 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 catapult D-III-H, 2 seaplanes (Walrus, Swordfish, Seafox) Anson, Howe: 2 x 4 - 356/45 Mk VII, 1 x 2 - 356/45 Mk VII, 8 x 2 - 133/50 QF Mk I, 6 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 18 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 catapult D-III-H, 2 seaplanes (Walrus, Swordfish)
Sensors	King George V, Prince of Wales: type 279, type 284 radars Duke of York, Anson, Howe: type 281, type 273, type 284, 4x type 285, 6x type 282 radars
Complement	1422

Ship project history: The first British capital ships built after the termination of a "battleship vacation", they also are the unique modern ships of this class had time to serve in wartime. Excessive scrupulousness of the English government which have limited designers by limits of the London conference of 1936 (standard displacement 35 000ts and 356mm caliber, which could be reconsidered next year) has played a negative role in a choice of caliber of main guns.

Design of armoring and machinery of a new battleships was conservative enough. Here, as well as on Nelson, the principle "all or nothing" was used. The main strake placed without a declination, connecting over a side shell to plating surface (instead of behind it as on Nelson), but thus was notably more widely. Internal anti-torpedo Protection paid off on resistance of torpedoes with 450 kgs TNT, however a loss Prince of Wales has shown, that underwater protection does not withstand explosion of much lighter aircraft torpedo.

Using of quadruple main turrets became an appreciable innovation. The ships should carry such three turrets on an original design but later it was required to strengthen armor for defense again 15`` shells and a high turret "B" was made two-gun.

New 356mm guns have appeared successful enough (their shells almost did not yield of 406mm and 381mm guns on a destruction force) and had a firing range 190 cables at the maximum elevation angle 40°. Unfortunately, they were distinguished by insufficient reliability of turret mounts: this defect was corrected only to the second half of war. The auxiliary caliber became for the first time universal. It consisted from 8 х 2 133mm mounts with an elevation angle 70° and has been unified with main guns of Dido class cruisers. Light AA armament should include 4x8 40mm pompoms and 4 х 4 12.7mm MGs, however it has undergone changes during completion
 

Protection:  External vertical main belt was 7.16m in height and 126.5m in length, it protected citadel between end barbettes. Upper part, 4.62m in height was 381mm abreast magazines and 356mm abreast machinery. Lower part, 2.54m in height, tapered from upper to lower edges from 381mm to 140mm abreast magazines and from 356mm to 114mm abreast machinery. Lower strike of belt continued for 12.2m fwd and 11.3m aft from citadel. Its thickness was 343 - 305 (upper edge) / 127 - 114mm (lower edge) fore and 343 - 280mm (upper edge) / 127 - 114mm (lower edge) aft. Thickness of bulkheads was 305 (fore) / 254 (aft)mm over lower deck and 51mm under lower deck.

    Flat main deck within citadel was 152mm over magazines and 127mm over machinery, it connected with upper edge of main belt. There was a lower deck outside citadel, connected with upper edge of lengthened parts of lower belt strike. It extended fore up to first water-proof bulkhead and has thickness 127 - 64mm; its aft part was 114mm thick (127mm over steering gear), closed by 102mm bulkhead.

    Thickness of barbettes was 330mm at sides, 280mm to amidships, 305mm to ship ends. Turret faces were 324mm, sides was 224 - 174mm. Conning tower had 114 - 76mm sides and 51mm roof, deck and communication tube.

    Last longitudinal bulkhead was 44mm thick, underwater protection deep was 4.1m. It could resist exploding of 454kg TNT.

Modernizations: 1941, King George V: + type 271 radar

5/1941, Prince of Wales: + 4x type 282, 4x 285 radars

7/1941, Prince of Wales: - 3 x 20 - 178 UP; + 2 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, type 271 radar

late 1941, King George V: - 4 x 20 - 178 UP, type 271 radar; + 1 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 18 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 273, 5x 282 radars

12/1941, Prince of Wales: + 7 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, displacement was 39100/ 44460ts.

4/1942, Duke of York: + 8 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

mid-1942, King George V: +4x type 285 radars

3/1943, Duke of York: + 14 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

5/1943, King George V: + 20 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

mid-1943, Anson: - type 282 radar; + 22 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

mid-1943, Howe: + 22 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

5/1944, Howe: - 6 x 1 - 20/70, 1 catapult with seaplanes, type 273, 281, 284 radars; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 274, 277, 281B, 2x 282, 285, 293 radars, full displacement: 45226 t

6/1944, Duke of York: - 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, full displacement: 44790 t

7/1944, King George V: - 1 x 4 - 40/39, 12 x 1 - 20/70, 1 catapult with planes, type 273, 279, 284 radars; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 3 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, type 277, 279B, 274, 2x 282, 285, 293 radars.

3/1945, Duke of York: - 1 catapult with planes, type 273, 281, 284 radars; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 15 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2x type 274, 277, 281B, 2x 282, 293 radars

3/1945, Anson: - 1 catapult with seaplanes, type 273, 281, 5x 282, 284, 4x 285 radars; + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 8 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 10 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 13 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 7x type 262, 2x 274, 4x 275, 277, 281B, 293 radars, type 651 jammer, full displacement: 45360t

1945, Anson: - 2 x 2 - 20/70; + 2 x 4 - 40/39 pompom

9/1945, Howe: - 34 x 1 - 20/70; + 18 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 6 x 4 - 40/39 pompom

12/1945: King George V: - 2 x 4 - 40/56, 2 x 2 - 20/70, 2 x 1 - 20/70, + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Bofors (English build), 2 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 2x  type 282 radars

3/1946, King George V: - 4 x 2 - 20/70, 24 x 1 - 20/70

3/1946, Duke of York: - 4 x 4 - 40/39, 41 x 1 - 20/70

3/1946, Howe: - 8 x 1 - 40/56, 6 x 4 - 40/39

1946, Anson: - 4 x 4 - 40/39, 51 x 1 - 20/70

1949, Anson: - 2 x 4 - 40/39, 8 x 2 - 20/70; + 6 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

1949, Howe: - 2 x 4 - 40/56

autumn 1951, Duke of York: - 8 x 2 - 20/70; + 6 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

Naval service: Prince of Wales and King George V participated in operation (at initial and final phases accordingly) on intercept of German battleship Bismarck. The first has achieved three hits to German ship 24/5/1941, but also itself has received 5 380mm and 3 203mm shells and has gone out battle. After two-month repair she was transferred to the Far East and sunk by the Japanese aircraft near Singapore 10/12/1941 (5 torpedo hits). King George V 1/5/1942 rammed and sunk the destroyer Punjabi in a fog and received considerable damages and has failed almost for 3 months. Duke of York 26.12.1943 has sunk German battlecruiser Scharnhorst 26/12/1943, not having received thus any damages. Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese torpedo-bombers G3M2 and G4M1. Ship was hit by 6 torpedoes and 1 250-kg bomb. 513 men were lost.

       King George V 1941

      Duke of York 1946

       Howe 1946

 

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© Ivan Gogin, 2009