King Edward VII-class battleship

HMS King Edward VII, lead ship of the King Edward VII class.
Class overview
Name:	King Edward VII class
Builders:	Chatham Dockyard, Devonport Dockyard, John Brown, Fairfield, Portsmouth Dockyard, Vickers
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Duncan class
Succeeded by:	Swiftsure class
Built:	1904–06
In commission:	1905–21
Planned:	8
Completed:	8
Lost:	2
Retired:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Pre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement:	16,350 tons (normal) 17,500 tons (full load)
Length:	453 ft 6 in (138.23 m)
Beam:	78 ft (23.8 m)
Draught:	26 ft 9 in (8.15 m)
Installed power:	18,000 hp (13,000 kW)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × 4-cylinder vertical compound expansion steam engines Coal-fired (with oil sprayers) boilers, except no oil sprayers in New Zealand 2,164–2,238 tons coal maximum, 380 tons oil Boilers: King Edward VII: 10 Babcock & Wilcox and 6 cylindrical Commonwealth, Dominion: 16 Babcock & Wilcox Africa, Britannia, Hibernia, Hindustan: 12 Babcock & Wilcox and 3 cylindrical New Zealand: 18 Niclausse and 3 cylindrical
Speed:	18.5 kn (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) maximum
Range:	5,270 nmi (9,760 km; 6,060 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement:	777
Armament:	King Edward VII, Commonwealth, Dominion, Hindustan, New Zealand: 4 × BL 12-inch (305 mm)/40 Mark IX guns (2×2) 14 × QF 12-pounder (76 mm) 12 cwt guns Africa, Britannia, Hibernia: 4 × BL 12-inch (305 mm)/45 Mark X guns (2×2) 14 × QF 12-pounder (76 mm) 18 cwt guns All ships: 4 × 1 BL 9.2-inch (234 mm) Mark X guns 10 × BL 6-inch (152 mm) Mk VII guns 14 × 3-pounder (47 mm) QF guns 2 × Maxim machine guns 5 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour:	Belt: 8–9 inches (203–229 mm) Bulkheads: 8–12 inches (203–305 mm) Deck: 1–2.5 inches (25.4–63.5 mm) Conning Tower: 12 inches (305 mm) Turrets: 8–12 inches (203–305 mm) Barbettes: 12 inches (305 mm) 9.2-inch turrets: 5–9 inches (127–229 mm) 6-inch battery: 7 inches (178 mm)
Notes:	During their Grand Fleet service (1914–1916), the King Edward VII-class ships were nicknamed "The Wobbly Eight".

The King Edward VII class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships launched by the Royal Navy between 1903 and 1905. They were among the last pre-dreadnoughts built for the Royal Navy before the construction and launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, which immediately rendered them semi-obsolete.

By the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the King Edward VIIs had become so outmoded that they were used as minesweepers for the Grand Fleet's more valuable dreadnought battleships, though they also saw service in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Seas, and two were deployed to support the naval assault on the Dardanelles. Two of the King Edward VIIs were sunk during the war, and the remainder were all placed into reserve by 1918, with the exception of HMS Commonwealth, which was refitted to serve as a gunnery training vessel. All surviving ships were sold for scrap in 1920–21. Alongside the Formidable class, they were the largest class of battleships built, with eight complete vessels.

By 1901, the 29 British battleships of the Majestic, Canopus, Formidable, London, Queen, and Duncan classes then in service or under construction, all following the same basic design by Sir William White, had come under criticism as being undergunned for their displacement.

All the King Edward VIIs had four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two twin turrets and a secondary armament of twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns on a displacement of 13,000 to 15,000 tons; questions were beginning to arise as to the usefulness of 6-inch guns in the face of improved armor in foreign battleships, and it was noted that foreign navies such as those of Italy and the United States had begun to arm their battleships with an intermediate battery of 8-inch (203 mm) guns. The King Edward VII class was built as a response, with the intention of halting the gap in firepower and maintaining the dominance of the Royal Navy.