Nelson-class battleship

HMS Nelson before the war.
Class overview
Name:	Nelson class
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	N3 class (planned) Revenge class (actual)
Succeeded by:	King George V class
In service:	1927–1947
Completed:	2
Retired:	2
General characteristics (1942)
Type:	Battleship
Displacement:	33,950 tons standard, 41,250 tons full load
Length:	660 ft (201.2 m) p/p, 710 ft (216.4 m) o/a
Beam:	106 ft (32.3 m)
Draught:	28.5 ft (8.7 m), 31.5 ft (9.6 m) full load
Installed power:	8 × Yarrow boilers 45,000 shp (34,000 kW)
Propulsion:	2 shafts; geared steam turbines
Speed:	23 knots (43 km/h)
Range:	16,500 nmi (30,600 km; 19,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement:	1,361
Armament:	3 × triple 16-inch (406 mm) guns 6 × twin 6 in (152 mm) guns 6 × single 4.7 in (120-mm) AA guns 6 × octuple 2 pdr (40 mm) AA guns 2 × 24.5-inch (622 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour:	Belt 14 in,13 in between closing bulkheads Middle deck 6.25 in over magazines, 4.25 in over machinery spaces Lower deck 6.25 in over steering gear Bulkheads 12 in forward, 10 in aft closing bulkheads, 4 in at stern 1.5 in longitudinals 16 inch Turrets 16 in faces, 11 in sides, 9 in rears, 7.25 in roofs 14–15 in barbettes 6 inch turrets 1.5 in faces, 1 in sides, roofs & barbettes Conning tower 13.5 in sides, 7.5 in roof, 6 in communication tube Director control tower 6 in sides, 4 in roof
Aircraft carried:	1 (Nelson) / 2 (Rodney) from 1934
Aviation facilities:	catapult on "B" turret (Rodney only)
Notes:	Information as per Lenton

The Nelson class was a class of two battleships (Nelson and Rodney) of the British Royal Navy, built shortly after, and under the terms of, the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. They were the only British battleships built between the Revenge class (ordered in 1913) and the King George V class, ordered in 1936.

The ships were named after famous British admirals: George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney of the Battle of Cape St. Vincent and Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson of the Battles of the Nile and Trafalgar.

To comply with the limitations of the Washington Treaty, these ships were of an unusual design with many novel features. They are often referred to as the first treaty battleships. The Nelsons were unique in British battleship construction, being the only ships to carry a main armament of nine 16-inch (406 mm) guns. The most unusual feature however, and one that is immediately noticeable, is that these were all carried forward of the bridge.

Commissioned in 1927–29, the Nelsons served extensively in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian oceans during World War II. Rodney was made famous by her role in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941. At the climax of the battle Rodney, in conjunction with King George V, closed on Bismarck to bombard her at short range. Rodney's main guns were credited with an estimated 100 to 130 hits, contributing greatly to her final destruction.