Pre-dreadnought Battleships

World War 1 Naval Combat

World War 1 Naval Combat

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Russell Russell, a Duncan class battleship.  When built they sacrificed armour for speed to match fast battleships reported to being built for Russia which at the time of construction was a serious naval rival for Britain.  Russell was mined near Malta by a mine laid by the German submarine U73.

British

Royal Sovereign Class
HMS Royal Sovereign, Ramillies, Royal Oak, Repulse, Revenge, Resolution, Empress of India Laid down 1889-1891, completed 1892-1895.

Majestic Class
HMS Majestic, Caesar, Hannibal, Illustrious, Jupiter, Magnificent, Mars, Prince George, Victorious Laid down 1893-1895, completed 1895-1898.

Canopus Class
HMS Canopus, Albion, Glory, Goliath, Ocean, Vengeance Laid down 1896-1898, completed 1899-1902.

Formidable Class
HMS Formidable, Irresistible, Implacable Laid down 1898, completed 1901-1902.

Bulwark Class
HMS Bulwark, London, Venerable Laid down 1898-1899, completed 1902.

Duncan Class
HMS Duncan, Albemarle, Cornwallis, Exmouth, Montagu, Russell Laid down 1899-1901, completed 1903-1904.

Queen Class
HMS Queen, Prince of Wales Laid down 1901, completed 1904.

King Edward VII Class
HMS King Edward VII, Africa, Britannia, Commonwealth, Dominion, Hibernia, Hindustan, New Zealand Laid down 1902-1904, completed 1905-1907.

Swiftsure Class
HMS Swiftsure, Triumph Laid down 1902, completed 1904.

Lord Nelson Class
HMS Lord Nelson, Agamemnon Laid down 1905, completed 1908.

Hindustan and the rest of the King Edward VII class formed the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet at the start of the war.  They were known as the "wobbly eight" as they proved very difficult to keep on a steady course!  In 1916 the squadron was transferred from Scapa Flow to Nore, the ships not being fast or powerful enough to serve with the main fleet. Hindustan

Germany

Brandenburg Class
SMS Brandenburg, Kurfurst Friedrich Wilhelm, Weissenburg, Worth Laid down 1890, completed 1893-1894.

Kaiser Friedrich III Class
SMS Kaiser Friedrich III, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse, Kaiser Karl Der Grosse, Kaiser Barbarossa Laid down 1895-1898, completed 1898-1901.

Wittelsbach Class
SMS Wittelsbach, Wettin, Zahringen, Schwaben, Mecklenburg Laid down 1899-1900, completed 1902-1904.

Braunschweig Class
SMS Braunschweig, Elsass, Hessen, Preussen, Lothringen Laid down 1901-1902, completed 1904-1906.

Deutschland Class
SMS Deutschland, Pommern, Hannover, Schlesien, Schleswig-Holstein Laid down 1903-1904, completed 1906-1908.

Schlesien Schlesien was part of the last class of German pre-dreadnoughts.  Like many nations last pre-dreadnoughts (including the British Lord Nelson class) she entered service after HMS Dreadnought and so was outdated, though still powerful, when new.  After Jutland the class was moved from the battle fleet to secondary duties.

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