BIG GUNS: Ship Guide
HMS Dreadnought defined what it meant to be a big-guns battleship. The brainchild of British First Sea Lord Sir John Fisher, the Dreadnought was the most feared battleship on the seas. Eight of the Dreadnought's ten 12-inch guns could be calibrated together for a devastating broadside salvo. Other ships of the era could manage just a four-gun broadside. The Dreadnought's armament for protection against gunfire was massive: some 800 tons heavier than that of earlier battleship classes. The ship's speed was unmatched. The first battleship to use a turbine engine, the Dreadnought could do 21 knots, three knots faster than the average. Other naval powers took note. The result was a major arms race between Great Britain, Germany, the U.S. and Japan. The first clash between Dreadnought-style ships finally came in 1916 at the Battle of Jutland between Germany and Great Britain. Though the result was a draw, the Dreadnought's role as the defining ship for big guns warfare was assured.
WHERE IS IT NOW?
Great Britain scrapped HMS Dreadnought along with 18 other ships following the 1922 Washington Naval Arms Conference, which set an international moratorium on battleship construction and imposed limits on existing battleship fleets.
RESOURCES
Dreadnought Battleship
http://www.warships1.com/ BRbb01_Dreadnought .htm
Photos, technical specs and a basic history of the battleship that kick-started the big guns era.
The Dreadnought Race
http://www.friesian.com/ dreadnot.htm
A detailed overview of the Dreadnought-sparked arms race between Great Britain, Germany and Japan.
University of New Hampshire: Battle of Jutland
http:// pubpages.unh.edu/ ~jpsabol/ jutland/ essay.html
An analysis of the legendary Dreadnought clash at the Battle of Jutland.
The Dreadnought Project
http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/
A volunteer effort, the Dreadnought Project is dedicated to the construction of 3-D models of World War I-era ships and expanding knowledge of early 20th century naval technology.
