Colossus Class Dreadnought Battleship

HMS Colossus.  Visually very similar to Neptune but distinguishable by only having one tripod mast.  Unfortunately this was relocated behind the funnel.  The deck between the funnels were known as flying decks and were removed during the war as there were concerns that action damage could cause them to collapse blocking the turrets below.

HMS Colossus
Built Scotts, laid down July 1919, completed July 1911, cost £1,672,103.

HMS Hercules
Built Palmers, laid down July 1909, completed August 1911, cost £1,661,240.

Size:
Length 541 feet 6 inch waterline 545 feet 9 inches overall, 86 feet 8 inch beam, draught 29feet 5 inch deep, displacement 20,030 tons load 23,266 tons deep.

Propulsion:
4 shaft Parsons turbines, 25,000 shp, 21kts.

Trials:
Colossus 28,922 shp = 21.58 knots
Hercules 29,317 shp = 21.57 knots

Armour:
11-7in belt, 11-4in barbettes, 11in turret faces, 3-1.75in decks

Armament:
10 x 12in 50cal MK XI (5 x 2), 16 x 4in (16 x 1), 4 x 3 pounder (4 x 1), 3 x 21in TT

Comments:
Similar to the Neptune class with a re-arrangement of the secondary armament and thicker armour at the expense of inferior underwater protection.  The full length anti-torpedo bulkhead was reduced to a partial bulkhead covering magazines and engine space although sub-division was increased..  Crew 751.

World War 1 Service:
Colossus
1st Battle Squadron Grand Fleet as flagship.
Present at the Battle of Jutland 1916. Fired 93 12in rounds. Received 2 hits causing minor damage and 9 wounded.
June-September 1917 refit
August 1928 Sold for scrap.

Hercules
1st Battle Squadron Grand Fleet.
Present at the Battle of Jutland 1916. Fired 98 12in rounds.
February 1916 refit at Scapa Flow.
June 1916 transferred to 4th Battle Squadron as flagship
19 August 1916 carried out experiments with towed kite balloon,
August 1922 Sold for scrap.

HMS Colossus.  The secondary armament was rearranged to put more emphasis on defending from attacks from ahead, it being thought that this attacks from this area being more likely than attacks from behind.   This resulted in a shorter superstructure aft and a a larger forward one compared with Neptune.