After much debate within the Admiralty, and under Parliamentry and press pressure, the details of the Admiral Class are made public.
Admiral Class, Great Britain Battleship laid down 1939
Displacement:
57,364 t light; 60,355 t standard; 62,712 t normal; 64,597 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
881.00 ft / 875.00 ft x 123.00 ft x 33.00 ft (normal load)
268.53 m / 266.70 m x 37.49 m x 10.06 m
Armament:
12 - 16.50" / 419 mm guns (4x3 guns), 2,500.00lbs / 1,133.98kg shells, 1935 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
20 - 4.50" / 114 mm guns (10x2 guns), 45.00lbs / 20.41kg shells, 1943 Model
Automatic rapid fire guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, all amidships, 4 raised mounts - superfiring
16 - 2.24" / 57.0 mm guns (8x2 guns), 6.00lbs / 2.72kg shells, 1939 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
36 - 0.66" / 16.8 mm guns (6x6 guns), 0.14lbs / 0.06kg shells, 1943 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 31,001 lbs / 14,062 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 100
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 16.0" / 406 mm 540.00 ft / 164.59 m 16.50 ft / 5.03 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 95 % of normal length
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
2.75" / 70 mm 540.00 ft / 164.59 m 30.00 ft / 9.14 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 16.0" / 406 mm 12.0" / 305 mm 12.0" / 305 mm
2nd: 2.00" / 51 mm 1.00" / 25 mm 3.00" / 76 mm
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm - -
4th: 0.50" / 13 mm - -
- Armour deck: 6.50" / 165 mm, Conning tower: 3.00" / 76 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 170,000 shp / 126,820 Kw = 30.09 kts
Range 10,000nm at 12.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 4,243 tons
Complement:
1,980 - 2,575
Cost:
£32.620 million / $130.480 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 3,518 tons, 5.6 %
Armour: 23,020 tons, 36.7 %
- Belts: 6,240 tons, 10.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,648 tons, 2.6 %
- Armament: 4,993 tons, 8.0 %
- Armour Deck: 10,036 tons, 16.0 %
- Conning Tower: 102 tons, 0.2 %
Machinery: 4,600 tons, 7.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 25,927 tons, 41.3 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 5,347 tons, 8.5 %
Miscellaneous weights: 300 tons, 0.5 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
94,116 lbs / 42,690 Kg = 41.9 x 16.5 " / 419 mm shells or 15.4 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.10
Metacentric height 8.2 ft / 2.5 m
Roll period: 18.0 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 59 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.71
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.09
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.618
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.11 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 34.26 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 54
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 34.00 ft / 10.36 m
- Forecastle (18 %): 29.00 ft / 8.84 m
- Mid (70 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Quarterdeck (18 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Stern: 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Average freeboard: 24.88 ft / 7.58 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 80.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 194.7 %
Waterplane Area: 83,458 Square feet or 7,753 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 103 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 239 lbs/sq ft or 1,169 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.98
- Longitudinal: 1.20
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Class Names: HMS Nelson, Rodney, Howe, Anson, Beatty
Radar Equipment List
Gunnery Director Radar Type 284M on three main directors
Gunnery Director Radar Type 289 on all six 57mm directors
Gunnery Director Radar Type 288 on four 4.5in directors
Air Search Radar Type 971
Surface Search Radar Type 278
Passive Radio Intercept Equipment Type 293, 293P/M/Q/O
Passive Radar Intercept Type 297
Missile Guidance Jammer Type 296
Armour Notes
Deck armour: 6 inch thick main deck with a 0.5in splinter protection deck above the engine rooms and magazines at lower deck level which joins onto bottom of belt and TB system
Torpedo bulkheads: triple bottom, quadruple side bulkhead system air/ fuel/ fuel/ air with backing bulkheads of 0.5in/ 1in/ 1in and 0.25in respectively