Queen Elizabeth-class battleship

HMS Queen Elizabeth in original configuration at Lemnos, 24 April 1915
Class overview
Name:	Queen Elizabeth class
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceded by:	Iron Duke class
Succeeded by:	Revenge class
In commission:	1914–47
Planned:	6
Completed:	5
Lost:	1
General characteristics
Class and type:	Battleship
Displacement:	27,500 tons standard 36,500 tons full load
Length:	645 ft 9 in (196.82 m)
Beam:	90 ft 6 in (27.58 m)
Draught:	30 ft 2 in (9.19 m)
Propulsion:	Parsons direct drive steam turbines 24 boilers 4 shafts 75,000 shp, Bunkerage: 3,400 tons oil
Speed:	24 knots (44 km/h)
Range:	5,000 nmi (9,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement:	950–1300
Armament:	As built: 8 × BL 15-inch Mk I guns (4 x 2) 16 (Queen Elizabeth) or 14 (other ships) × single BL 6-inch Mk XII guns 2 × single QF 3-inch 20cwt anti-aircraft guns 4 × single 3-pdr (47 mm) saluting guns 4 × 21-inch (530 mm) submerged torpedo tubes
Armour:	As built armour: Belt: 13 inch tapering to 6 inch forward and 4 inch aft Upper belt: 6 inches Bulkheads: 6 inch and 4 inch forward; 6 in ch and 4 inch aft 15 inch Turrets: 11 inch sides; 13 inch faces; 4.25 inch top Barbettes: 10 to 7 inches above belt; 6 to 4 inches below belt 6 inch guns: 6 inch Conning tower: 11 inch side; 3 inch roof; 4 inch revolving hood Conning tower tube: 6 inches to upper deck; 4 inches below Torpedo conning tower: 6 inch Torpedo conning tower tube: 4 inches to upper deck As built protective plate: Vertical: Torpedo bulkheads: 1 inch + 1 inch Magazine-end bulkheads: 1 inch + 1 inch (extra 1 inch layer added after Battle of Jutland) Funnel uptakes: 1.5 inches Horizontal: Forecastle: 1 inch over 6 inch battery Upperdeck 2 to 1.25 inches from A–Y barbettes Main deck: 1.25 inches at forward and aft ends Middle deck: 1 inch (2 inches after Battle of Jutland) Lower deck: 3 inches at extreme ends; 2.25 inches over steering gear; 1 inch forward

The Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were a class of five super-dreadnoughts of the Royal Navy commissioned in 1915–16. The lead ship was named after Elizabeth I of England. These battleships were superior in firepower, protection and speed to their Royal Navy predecessors of the Iron Duke class as well as preceding German classes such as the König class, although the corresponding Bayern-class ships were competitive except for being 2 knots (3.7 km/h) slower. As such, the Queen Elizabeths are generally considered the first fast battleships.

The Queen Elizabeths were the first battleships to be armed with 15-inch (381 mm) guns, and were described in the 1919 edition of Jane's Fighting Ships as "the most successful type of capital ship yet designed." They saw much service in both world wars. HMS Barham was lost to U-boat attack in 1941, but the others survived the wars and were scrapped in the late 1940s.

Following the success of the 13.5-inch (343 mm) 45 calibre gun, the Admiralty decided to develop a 15-inch (381 mm)/42 gun to equip the battleships of the 1912 construction programme. The move to the larger gun was accelerated by one or two years by the intervention of Winston Churchill, now at the Admiralty. Rather than waiting for prototype guns, the entire design was optimised on paper for the new weapon, and construction commenced immediately. In making this decision, the Admiralty ran a considerable risk, as a forced reversion to the 12-inch (305 mm) or 13.5-inch (343 mm) gun would have resulted in a ship with weakened striking power.