Well "expendable" is a relative term. What I mean is more of a battleship that the brass feel they can use rather than waiting for the decisive engagement that may never come...
I've made a few tinkering mods. Note that this ship is lighter than even the Victorious, Saint Vincent and Lion forebears. I've tried a range of alternatives (2x3 16.5in, 3x2 15in, 4x2 15in pared down to the bone with 13in belt 700 ft long, 4x3 12in with hypothetical 12in gun, 4x4 12in with same gun but none of those really hit the spot and a smaller and cheaper 30,000 ton version of this ship sacrifices a lot. Realistically perhaps retaining the QEs until the 50s is a better option?
Royal Class, Great Britain Battleship laid down 1944
Displacement:
32,101 t light; 33,911 t standard; 35,952 t normal; 37,584 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
724.83 ft / 720.00 ft x 108.00 ft x 31.00 ft (normal load)
220.93 m / 219.46 m x 32.92 m x 9.45 m
Armament:
8 - 15.00" / 381 mm guns (4x2 guns), 1,938.00lbs / 879.06kg shells, 1915 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
12 - 4.50" / 114 mm guns (6x2 guns), 45.00lbs / 20.41kg shells, 1943 Model
Automatic rapid fire guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, all amidships
16 - 2.24" / 57.0 mm guns (8x2 guns), 6.00lbs / 2.72kg shells, 1941 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
20 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (10x2 guns), 2.00lbs / 0.91kg shells, 1941 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
Weight of broadside 16,180 lbs / 7,339 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 120
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 14.0" / 356 mm 415.00 ft / 126.49 m 14.00 ft / 4.27 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 89 % of normal length
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
2.50" / 64 mm 415.00 ft / 126.49 m 27.00 ft / 8.23 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 13.0" / 330 mm 8.00" / 203 mm 9.00" / 229 mm
2nd: 1.00" / 25 mm 0.50" / 13 mm 2.00" / 51 mm
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.25" / 6 mm -
4th: 0.50" / 13 mm - -
- Armour deck: 5.50" / 140 mm, Conning tower: 6.00" / 152 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 105,657 shp / 78,820 Kw = 29.00 kts
Range 7,500nm at 16.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,673 tons
Complement:
1,305 - 1,697
Cost:
£20.190 million / $80.761 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 1,786 tons, 5.0 %
Armour: 12,788 tons, 35.6 %
- Belts: 3,621 tons, 10.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,036 tons, 2.9 %
- Armament: 2,392 tons, 6.7 %
- Armour Deck: 5,597 tons, 15.6 %
- Conning Tower: 141 tons, 0.4 %
Machinery: 2,698 tons, 7.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 14,455 tons, 40.2 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,851 tons, 10.7 %
Miscellaneous weights: 375 tons, 1.0 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
54,292 lbs / 24,627 Kg = 32.2 x 15.0 " / 381 mm shells or 9.7 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.10
Metacentric height 6.7 ft / 2.0 m
Roll period: 17.5 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 61 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.54
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.07
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.522
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.67 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 31.61 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 53 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 57
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 9.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 30.50 ft / 9.30 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 25.00 ft / 7.62 m
- Mid (50 %): 18.00 ft / 5.49 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 18.00 ft / 5.49 m
- Stern: 18.00 ft / 5.49 m
- Average freeboard: 20.89 ft / 6.37 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 78.8 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 157.5 %
Waterplane Area: 55,006 Square feet or 5,110 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 109 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 198 lbs/sq ft or 966 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.96
- Longitudinal: 1.44
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Four turrets from QE Class 667 tons each x4 = 2668 tons
Deck Armour: Main deck 5in with a 0.5in splinter deck below joining to the bottom of the main belt
Torpedo Bulkheads: triple bottom, quadruple side bulkhead system air/ fuel/ fuel/ air with backing bulkheads of 0.5in/ 1in/ 0.5in and 0.5in