Dreadnaught

The dreadnaught is a battleship type named after the HMS Dreadnaught. They were developed during the naval arms race leading up to World War I.

Prior to dreadnaughts, battleships carried a much more diverse array of armaments, with guns of many different calibers.

Theorists in Italy and Great Britain came up with the idea for all big gun ships. Analysis of the Russian fleet's defeat by the Japanese in 1905 confirmed that the speed of the ships and the impact of their heaviest guns were decisive.

Switching to one main gun type had several advantages.

• Observation of shell splashes was easier, as the heavy guns could easily be distinguished from the much smaller secondary armament. Information from the spotters could be used to make corrections.

• Fire control was simplified, with one set of calculations applicable to all the main guns and coordinated salvos often being used.

• Ammunition could be standardized.

The secondary armament on dreadnaughts could also be simplified. Towards the end of world war II this was standardized around 5", which was powerful enough to take out a torpedo boat, while still rapid firing. The rounds for a 5" gun were around 55 lbs., which was about the maximum weight that an average sailor could realistically handle during a prolonged battle.

The HMS dreadnaught used steam turbine engines, which gave it excellent speed. Most subsequent battleships used this design, with exceptions like the lightly armored Graf Spee, which used reciprocating engines.