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==Characteristics==
==Characteristics==
Pre-dreadnought battleships were the product of an era of rapid evolution in naval technology. In particular, the pre-dreadnought combined steel armor and construction, breechloading guns, revolving turrets, and triple-expansion steam engines. A classic example of pre-dreadnought was the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Royal Sovereign class battleship|''Royal Sovereign'' class]].
Pre-dreadnought battleships were the product of an era of rapid evolution in naval technology. In particular, the pre-dreadnought combined steel armor and construction, breechloading guns, revolving turrets, and triple-expansion steam engines. A classic example of pre-dreadnought was the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Royal Sovereign class battleship|''Royal Sovereign''-class]].


===Armament===
===Armament===
Most pre-dreadnoughts had a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two [[Gun turret|turrets]], one fore and one aft, intended to punch through the most heavily armored areas of enemy ships to the "vitals", the engines, turrets, and magazines. While 12-inch guns were the most common main battery, guns as small as 10-inches (the [[HMS Centurion (1892)|''Centurion'']] and [[HMS Swiftsure (1903)|''Swiftsure'']] classes) and as large as 16.25 ([[HMS Benbow (1885)|HMS ''Benbow'']] and the [[Victoria class battleship|''Victoria'' class]]) were fitted to some ships. 13-inch and 13.5-inch guns were also common in the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy respectively. They also carried an [[Battleship secondary armament|intermediate battery]] of guns in the 6- to 10-inch (15−25 cm) range placed superstructure. While these guns could not penetrate the heaviest armor of opposing vessels, they were more numerous and faster firing than the main battery and could do severe damage to less armored areas, such as the superstructure and funnels. Finally, they carried a tertiary battery of light, rapid-fire guns for defence against [[torpedo boat]]s. The mixed armament was ideal for the battle range of approximately 3,000 yards (3000 m) that pre-dreadnoughts were designed for.
Most pre-dreadnoughts had a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two [[Gun turret|turrets]], one fore and one aft, intended to punch through the most heavily armored areas of enemy ships to the "vitals", the engines, turrets, and magazines. While 12-inch guns were the most common main battery, guns as small as 10-inches (the [[HMS Centurion (1892)|''Centurion'']] and [[HMS Swiftsure (1903)|''Swiftsure'']] classes) and as large as 16.25 ([[HMS Benbow (1885)|HMS ''Benbow'']] and the [[Victoria class battleship|''Victoria''-class]]) were fitted to some ships. 13-inch and 13.5-inch guns were also common in the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy respectively. They also carried an [[Battleship secondary armament|intermediate battery]] of guns in the 6- to 10-inch (15−25 cm) range placed superstructure. While these guns could not penetrate the heaviest armor of opposing vessels, they were more numerous and faster firing than the main battery and could do severe damage to less armored areas, such as the superstructure and funnels. Finally, they carried a tertiary battery of light, rapid-fire guns for defence against [[torpedo boat]]s. The mixed armament was ideal for the battle range of approximately 3,000 yards (3000 m) that pre-dreadnoughts were designed for.


In addition to their gun armament, many pre-dreadnought battleships were armed with [[Torpedo#Self-propelled torpedoes|Whitehead torpedoes]], fired from fixed tubes located either above or below the waterline. As an additional underwater weapon, most pre-dreadnoughts were built with [[Naval ram|ram bows]], largely due to the successful employment of the ram during the battles of [[Battle of Hampton Roads|Hampton Roads]] and [[Battle of Lissa (1866)|Lissa]]. In practice, however, the ram proved a potential danger to friendly forces as well, most famously in the loss of [[HMS Victoria (1887)|HMS ''Victoria'']] to the ram bow of [[HMS Camperdown (1885)|HMS ''Camperdown'']].
In addition to their gun armament, many pre-dreadnought battleships were armed with [[Torpedo#Self-propelled torpedoes|Whitehead torpedoes]], fired from fixed tubes located either above or below the waterline. As an additional underwater weapon, most pre-dreadnoughts were built with [[Naval ram|ram bows]], largely due to the successful employment of the ram during the battles of [[Battle of Hampton Roads|Hampton Roads]] and [[Battle of Lissa (1866)|Lissa]]. In practice, however, the ram proved a potential danger to friendly forces as well, most famously in the loss of [[HMS Victoria (1887)|HMS ''Victoria'']] to the ram bow of [[HMS Camperdown (1885)|HMS ''Camperdown'']].
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==Evolution==
==Evolution==
While the end of the pre-dreadnought era is quite clearly demarcated by the ''Dreadnought'' herself, just when the era begins (and thus what ships represent the first pre-dreadnoughts) is open to debate. Some authors use [[1890]] as the dividing line, making the [[Royal Sovereign class battleship|''Royal Sovereigns'']] the prototypical pre-dreadnoughts.<ref name="SteamSteel&Shellfire">{{cite book |editor= Robert Gardiner ed. |title= Steam, Steel & Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815-1905 |series= Conway's History of the Ship |year= 1992 |publisher= Naval Institute Press |location= Anapolis, MD |isbn= 1-55750-774-0}}</ref> Others hold that the earlier [[Admiral class battleship|Admiral class]] were the first pre-dreadnoughts and mark the beginning of the era when they were ordered in 1880.<ref>{{cite book |last= Beeler |first= John |title= Birth of the Battleship: British Capital Ship Design 1870-1881 |year= 2001 |month= |publisher= Naval Institute Press |location= Anapolis, MD |language= |isbn= 1-55750-213-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Burt |first= R.A. |title= British Battleships 1889-1904 |year= 1988 |publisher= Naval Institute Press |location= Anapolis, MD |isbn= 0-87021-061-0 }}</ref>
While the end of the pre-dreadnought era is quite clearly demarcated by the ''Dreadnought'' herself, just when the era begins (and thus what ships represent the first pre-dreadnoughts) is open to debate. Some authors use [[1890]] as the dividing line, making the [[Royal Sovereign class battleship|''Royal Sovereigns'']] the prototypical pre-dreadnoughts.<ref name="SteamSteel&Shellfire">{{cite book |editor= Robert Gardiner ed. |title= Steam, Steel & Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815-1905 |series= Conway's History of the Ship |year= 1992 |publisher= Naval Institute Press |location= Anapolis, MD |isbn= 1-55750-774-0}}</ref> Others hold that the earlier [[Admiral class battleship|''Admiral''-class]] were the first pre-dreadnoughts and mark the beginning of the era when they were ordered in 1880.<ref>{{cite book |last= Beeler |first= John |title= Birth of the Battleship: British Capital Ship Design 1870-1881 |year= 2001 |month= |publisher= Naval Institute Press |location= Anapolis, MD |language= |isbn= 1-55750-213-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Burt |first= R.A. |title= British Battleships 1889-1904 |year= 1988 |publisher= Naval Institute Press |location= Anapolis, MD |isbn= 0-87021-061-0 }}</ref>


The pre-dreadnought can be seen as the convergence of two distinct types of [[Turret ship|turreted warships]]: coast defense [[Monitor (warship)|monitor]] and the seagoing masted turret ship. Turrets were first fitted to coast defense vessels, such as the [[USS Monitor|USS ''Monitor'']] and the British [[Cerberus class battleship|''Cereberus'' class]]. These vessels had good fighting qualities, but were limited to defensive roles due to their low freeboards and limited range.<ref name="FightingShipRN">{{cite book |last= Archibald |first= E.H.H. |title= The Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy AD 897-1984 |year= 1984 |publisher= Blansford Press |location= Dorset |isbn= 0-7137-13488 }}</ref> The effectiveness of turreted warships in the coast defense role led to interest in fitting them to larger, seagoing vessels. However, the combination of a turret and a [[Full rigged ship|full sailing rig]] proved difficult. The many ropes and stays required by a full rig interfered with the firing arc of the turret.<ref name="WarriorToDreadnought">X</ref> A fair number of masted turret ships were built, including the ill-fated [[HMS Captain (1869)|HMS ''Captain'']], the Italian [[Duilio|''Duilio'']], and [[HMS Neptune)|HMS ''Neptune'']], but they were outnumbered by [[Box battery|central battery ironclads]] like the French [[Richelieu (1873)|''Richelieu'']] and [[HMS Alexandra (1875)|HMS ''Alexandra'']].<ref name="SteamSteel&Shellfire">X</ref>
The pre-dreadnought can be seen as the convergence of two distinct types of [[Turret ship|turreted warships]]: coast defense [[Monitor (warship)|monitor]] and the seagoing masted turret ship. Turrets were first fitted to coast defense vessels, such as the [[USS Monitor|USS ''Monitor'']] and the British [[Cerberus class battleship|''Cereberus''-class]]. These vessels had good fighting qualities, but were limited to defensive roles due to their low freeboards and limited range.<ref name="FightingShipRN">{{cite book |last= Archibald |first= E.H.H. |title= The Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy AD 897-1984 |year= 1984 |publisher= Blansford Press |location= Dorset |isbn= 0-7137-13488 }}</ref> The effectiveness of turreted warships in the coast defense role led to interest in fitting them to larger, seagoing vessels. However, the combination of a turret and a [[Full rigged ship|full sailing rig]] proved difficult. The many ropes and stays required by a full rig interfered with the firing arc of the turret.<ref name="WarriorToDreadnought">X</ref> A fair number of masted turret ships were built, including the ill-fated [[HMS Captain (1869)|HMS ''Captain'']], the Italian [[Duilio|''Duilio'']], and [[HMS Neptune)|HMS ''Neptune'']], but they were outnumbered by [[Box battery|central battery ironclads]] like the French [[Richelieu (1873)|''Richelieu'']] and [[HMS Alexandra (1875)|HMS ''Alexandra'']].<ref name="SteamSteel&Shellfire">X</ref>


As steam engines grew more reliable and efficient, the mastless turret ships grew larger. The Royal Navy's [[Devastation class battleship|''Devastation'' class]] and [[HMS Dreadnought (1875)|HMS ''Dreadnought'']] (not to be confused with the all big gun battleship of the same name) were three times the size of the earlier ''Cereberus'' class. While their range was much greater than the earlier monitors, freeboard was still quite low, limiting the ships to calm waters like the [[Black Sea]], [[Mediterranean]], and the [[English Channel]]. At the same time, the sailing rigs on masted turret ships were growing smaller. [[HMS Inflexible (1876)|HMS ''Inflexible'']] had scarcely enough sail to move the ship without the assistance of the engines. These two lines of development finally converged in the [[Admiral class battleship|Admiral class]], which set the pattern for the pre-dreadnought battleship.<ref name="FightingShipRN">X</ref>
As steam engines grew more reliable and efficient, the mastless turret ships grew larger. The Royal Navy's [[Devastation class battleship|''Devastation''-class]] and [[HMS Dreadnought (1875)|HMS ''Dreadnought'']] (not to be confused with the all big gun battleship of the same name) were three times the size of the earlier ''Cereberus''-class. While their range was much greater than the earlier monitors, freeboard was still quite low, limiting the ships to calm waters like the [[Black Sea]], [[Mediterranean]], and the [[English Channel]]. At the same time, the sailing rigs on masted turret ships were growing smaller. [[HMS Inflexible (1876)|HMS ''Inflexible'']] had scarcely enough sail to move the ship without the assistance of the engines. These two lines of development finally converged in the [[Admiral class battleship|''Admiral''-class]], which set the pattern for the pre-dreadnought battleship.<ref name="FightingShipRN">X</ref>


==End of the pre-dreadnought era==
==End of the pre-dreadnought era==
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HMS ''Dreadnought'' (1906) introduced the concept of the ''all big-gun'' battleship, mounting a uniform battery of up to twelve large calibre guns. HMS ''Dreadnought'' also introduced the [[steam turbine]] into battleship design, greatly increasing the speed of the ship, an innovation to large warships as revolutionary for its times as the ship's new gun layout.
HMS ''Dreadnought'' (1906) introduced the concept of the ''all big-gun'' battleship, mounting a uniform battery of up to twelve large calibre guns. HMS ''Dreadnought'' also introduced the [[steam turbine]] into battleship design, greatly increasing the speed of the ship, an innovation to large warships as revolutionary for its times as the ship's new gun layout.


Since dreadnought battleships could engage effectively at two or three times the range of pre-dreadnoughts, the older ships passed rapidly into obsolescence, hence the slightly derogatory term "pre-dreadnoughts" for these older battleships, while new "all big gun" designs were termed "''dreadnoughts''". Even mixed-caliber battleships completed after HMS ''Dreadnought'' were referred to as "pre-dreadnoughts", since this was an accurate reflection of their fighting value. With all of its other ships of minimal fighting value compared to HMS ''Dreadnought'', the Royal Navy's huge numerical superiority vanished overnight, allowing the German Navy to begin construction of a modern battle fleet almost on level terms with the British. The British retained just a narrow lead, though, because the dreadnought battleships were larger than the pre-dreadnoughts, requiring the Germans to first widen and deepen their canals and shipbuilding infrastructure. Britain managed to gain a narrow four dreadnought lead. (There is considerable difference in opinion between military historians as to whether the dramatic rush to dreadnought-style vessels was a strategic success or failure.) The sudden dreadnought revolution did not affect the United States' strategy at all, as its next planned battleship, the [[South Carolina class battleship|''South Carolina'']] class, was an all-big-gun design (a modification and upgrade of the preceding [[Connecticut class battleship|''Connecticut'']] class).
Since dreadnought battleships could engage effectively at two or three times the range of pre-dreadnoughts, the older ships passed rapidly into obsolescence, hence the slightly derogatory term "pre-dreadnoughts" for these older battleships, while new "all big gun" designs were termed "''dreadnoughts''". Even mixed-caliber battleships completed after HMS ''Dreadnought'' were referred to as "pre-dreadnoughts", since this was an accurate reflection of their fighting value. With all of its other ships of minimal fighting value compared to HMS ''Dreadnought'', the Royal Navy's huge numerical superiority vanished overnight, allowing the German Navy to begin construction of a modern battle fleet almost on level terms with the British. The British retained just a narrow lead, though, because the dreadnought battleships were larger than the pre-dreadnoughts, requiring the Germans to first widen and deepen their canals and shipbuilding infrastructure. Britain managed to gain a narrow four dreadnought lead. (There is considerable difference in opinion between military historians as to whether the dramatic rush to dreadnought-style vessels was a strategic success or failure.) The sudden dreadnought revolution did not affect the United States' strategy at all, as its next planned battleship, the [[South Carolina class battleship|''South Carolina''-class]], was an all-big-gun design (a modification and upgrade of the preceding [[Connecticut class battleship|''Connecticut''-class]]).


==In action==
==In action==
Line 40: Line 40:
Pre-dreadnought battleships saw service during the [[Spanish-American War]] including the [[Battle of Santiago de Cuba]], as well as during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of [[1904]]-[[1905]], notably at the [[battle of Tsushima]]. During [[World War I]] the remaining pre-dreadnoughts were generally used for second-line tasks such as convoy escort and shore bombardment (notably during the [[Battle of Gallipoli|Gallipoli]] campaign where a number were lost to submarine attack), although a small squadron of German ones were present at the [[Battle of Jutland]] in [[1916]] (German sailors called them the "five minute ships", which was the amount of time they were expected to survive).
Pre-dreadnought battleships saw service during the [[Spanish-American War]] including the [[Battle of Santiago de Cuba]], as well as during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of [[1904]]-[[1905]], notably at the [[battle of Tsushima]]. During [[World War I]] the remaining pre-dreadnoughts were generally used for second-line tasks such as convoy escort and shore bombardment (notably during the [[Battle of Gallipoli|Gallipoli]] campaign where a number were lost to submarine attack), although a small squadron of German ones were present at the [[Battle of Jutland]] in [[1916]] (German sailors called them the "five minute ships", which was the amount of time they were expected to survive).


After World War One most pre-dreadnoughts were broken up along with many dreadnoughts. Germany was allowed to keep eight in service for coastal defense duties under the terms of the [[Versailles treaty]] and two of these soldiered on into [[World War II]]. One of them, [[German battleship Schleswig-Holstein|''Schleswig-Holstein'']], shelled the Polish [[Westerplatte]] peninsula just from the first minutes of the war. Greece also had a pair of ex-US Navy pre-dreadnoughts in service at the time; they were sunk in due course when Germany invaded her in 1941.
After World War One most pre-dreadnoughts were broken up along with many dreadnoughts. Germany was allowed to keep eight in service for coastal defense duties under the terms of the [[Versailles treaty]] and two of these soldiered on into [[World War II]]. One of them, [[German battleship Schleswig-Holstein|''Schleswig-Holstein'']], shelled the Polish [[Westerplatte]] peninsula from the first minutes of the war. Greece also had a pair of ex-US Navy pre-dreadnoughts in service at the time; they were sunk in due course when Germany invaded her in 1941.


The only pre-dreadnought preserved today is the Japanese Navy's flagship at the [[Battle of Tsushima]], the [[Japanese battleship Mikasa|''Mikasa'']], which is now located in [[Yokosuka]], where it has been a museum ship since 1925.
The only pre-dreadnought preserved today is the Japanese Navy's flagship at the [[Battle of Tsushima]], the [[Japanese battleship Mikasa|''Mikasa'']], which is now located in [[Yokosuka]], where it has been a museum ship since 1925.

Revision as of 12:40, 27 June 2007


USS Massachusetts, a pre-dreadnought battleship launched in 1893

The term pre-dreadnought refers to the last type of battleship before the British Royal Navy's HMS Dreadnought (1906). These ships were designed and built between about 1890 and 1908. Contemporaneous accounts normally described them simply as battleships.

Characteristics

Pre-dreadnought battleships were the product of an era of rapid evolution in naval technology. In particular, the pre-dreadnought combined steel armor and construction, breechloading guns, revolving turrets, and triple-expansion steam engines. A classic example of pre-dreadnought was the Royal Navy's Royal Sovereign-class.

Armament

Most pre-dreadnoughts had a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two turrets, one fore and one aft, intended to punch through the most heavily armored areas of enemy ships to the "vitals", the engines, turrets, and magazines. While 12-inch guns were the most common main battery, guns as small as 10-inches (the Centurion and Swiftsure classes) and as large as 16.25 (HMS Benbow and the Victoria-class) were fitted to some ships. 13-inch and 13.5-inch guns were also common in the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy respectively. They also carried an intermediate battery of guns in the 6- to 10-inch (15−25 cm) range placed superstructure. While these guns could not penetrate the heaviest armor of opposing vessels, they were more numerous and faster firing than the main battery and could do severe damage to less armored areas, such as the superstructure and funnels. Finally, they carried a tertiary battery of light, rapid-fire guns for defence against torpedo boats. The mixed armament was ideal for the battle range of approximately 3,000 yards (3000 m) that pre-dreadnoughts were designed for.

In addition to their gun armament, many pre-dreadnought battleships were armed with Whitehead torpedoes, fired from fixed tubes located either above or below the waterline. As an additional underwater weapon, most pre-dreadnoughts were built with ram bows, largely due to the successful employment of the ram during the battles of Hampton Roads and Lissa. In practice, however, the ram proved a potential danger to friendly forces as well, most famously in the loss of HMS Victoria to the ram bow of HMS Camperdown.

Protection

Schematic section of a typical pre-dreadnought battleship with an armoured upper and middle deck and side belt (red), lateral protective coal bunkers (grey) and a double-bottom of watertight compartments. The machinery was arranged in the protected internal void.

Pre-dreadnought battleships were generally protected by a thick belt of armor at the waterline and armored decks to resist plunging shells. Coal bunkers were distributed around the machinery spaces to provide additional protection. Two feet of coal were regarded as the equivalent of one inch of steel armor. The main armament was protected either by placing it inside a revolving turret, or surrounding it with a thick ring of armor called a barbette. Barbettes were lighter than turrets, allowing the guns to be placed higher in the ship giving the ship a higher freeboard. Turrets provided better protection for the gun crews, particularly against splinters from exploding shells. Later barbettes were fitted with an armored shield to protect the crews, evolving into the modern turret.[1]

Early pre-dreadnoughts were armored with compound armor. This was soon replaced with more effective all-steel armor made using the Harvey process. During the late 1890s, this was replaced by Krupp armour in the last pre-dreadnought battleships. Because of the rapidly changing armor technology of the era, the type of armor has a large effect on the effectiveness of a ship's protection. Twelve inches of compound armor provided the same protection as just 7.5 inches of Harvey or 5.75 inches of Krupp.[1]

Propulsion

All pre-dreadnoughts were powered by reciprocating steam engines. Most were capable of top speeds between 16 and 18 knots. The earliest vessels used compound engines, but these were soon replaced with more efficient triple expansion engines.[1] Most pre-dreadnought battleships used twin propellors, though the French and German navies favored triple-screw arrangements.[2] Coal fired boilers were used aboard all pre-dreadnought battleships as built. Towards the end some navies began using oil to supplement, rather than replace, coal fired boilers.[2]

Evolution

While the end of the pre-dreadnought era is quite clearly demarcated by the Dreadnought herself, just when the era begins (and thus what ships represent the first pre-dreadnoughts) is open to debate. Some authors use 1890 as the dividing line, making the Royal Sovereigns the prototypical pre-dreadnoughts.[2] Others hold that the earlier Admiral-class were the first pre-dreadnoughts and mark the beginning of the era when they were ordered in 1880.[3][4]

The pre-dreadnought can be seen as the convergence of two distinct types of turreted warships: coast defense monitor and the seagoing masted turret ship. Turrets were first fitted to coast defense vessels, such as the USS Monitor and the British Cereberus-class. These vessels had good fighting qualities, but were limited to defensive roles due to their low freeboards and limited range.[5] The effectiveness of turreted warships in the coast defense role led to interest in fitting them to larger, seagoing vessels. However, the combination of a turret and a full sailing rig proved difficult. The many ropes and stays required by a full rig interfered with the firing arc of the turret.[1] A fair number of masted turret ships were built, including the ill-fated HMS Captain, the Italian Duilio, and HMS Neptune, but they were outnumbered by central battery ironclads like the French Richelieu and HMS Alexandra.[2]

As steam engines grew more reliable and efficient, the mastless turret ships grew larger. The Royal Navy's Devastation-class and HMS Dreadnought (not to be confused with the all big gun battleship of the same name) were three times the size of the earlier Cereberus-class. While their range was much greater than the earlier monitors, freeboard was still quite low, limiting the ships to calm waters like the Black Sea, Mediterranean, and the English Channel. At the same time, the sailing rigs on masted turret ships were growing smaller. HMS Inflexible had scarcely enough sail to move the ship without the assistance of the engines. These two lines of development finally converged in the Admiral-class, which set the pattern for the pre-dreadnought battleship.[5]

End of the pre-dreadnought era

The arrival of faster and more efficient torpedos in the 1890s made short-range battle a hazardous proposition, thus battle ranges perforce increased. At such ranges, hits could be obtained only through slow, deliberate salvo fire in which each salvo was spotted and corrections made. Making spotting corrections from a forest of shell splashes from different calibers was impossible; small projectiles could not penetrate armor at these ranges; and small, rapid-firing guns had to wait for fall of shot (perhaps 15-30 seconds) before firing again, thus giving up their rate of fire advantage. All of this required an armament of as many large guns of a single caliber as could be carried.

HMS Dreadnought (1906) introduced the concept of the all big-gun battleship, mounting a uniform battery of up to twelve large calibre guns. HMS Dreadnought also introduced the steam turbine into battleship design, greatly increasing the speed of the ship, an innovation to large warships as revolutionary for its times as the ship's new gun layout.

Since dreadnought battleships could engage effectively at two or three times the range of pre-dreadnoughts, the older ships passed rapidly into obsolescence, hence the slightly derogatory term "pre-dreadnoughts" for these older battleships, while new "all big gun" designs were termed "dreadnoughts". Even mixed-caliber battleships completed after HMS Dreadnought were referred to as "pre-dreadnoughts", since this was an accurate reflection of their fighting value. With all of its other ships of minimal fighting value compared to HMS Dreadnought, the Royal Navy's huge numerical superiority vanished overnight, allowing the German Navy to begin construction of a modern battle fleet almost on level terms with the British. The British retained just a narrow lead, though, because the dreadnought battleships were larger than the pre-dreadnoughts, requiring the Germans to first widen and deepen their canals and shipbuilding infrastructure. Britain managed to gain a narrow four dreadnought lead. (There is considerable difference in opinion between military historians as to whether the dramatic rush to dreadnought-style vessels was a strategic success or failure.) The sudden dreadnought revolution did not affect the United States' strategy at all, as its next planned battleship, the South Carolina-class, was an all-big-gun design (a modification and upgrade of the preceding Connecticut-class).

In action

The only surviving pre-dreadnought, the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mikasa in Yokosuka, Japan, 2004.

Pre-dreadnought battleships saw service during the Spanish-American War including the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, as well as during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, notably at the battle of Tsushima. During World War I the remaining pre-dreadnoughts were generally used for second-line tasks such as convoy escort and shore bombardment (notably during the Gallipoli campaign where a number were lost to submarine attack), although a small squadron of German ones were present at the Battle of Jutland in 1916 (German sailors called them the "five minute ships", which was the amount of time they were expected to survive).

After World War One most pre-dreadnoughts were broken up along with many dreadnoughts. Germany was allowed to keep eight in service for coastal defense duties under the terms of the Versailles treaty and two of these soldiered on into World War II. One of them, Schleswig-Holstein, shelled the Polish Westerplatte peninsula from the first minutes of the war. Greece also had a pair of ex-US Navy pre-dreadnoughts in service at the time; they were sunk in due course when Germany invaded her in 1941.

The only pre-dreadnought preserved today is the Japanese Navy's flagship at the Battle of Tsushima, the Mikasa, which is now located in Yokosuka, where it has been a museum ship since 1925.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Brown, David K. (1997). Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-86176-022-1. Cite error: The named reference "WarriorToDreadnought" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Robert Gardiner ed., ed. (1992). Steam, Steel & Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815-1905. Conway's History of the Ship. Anapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-774-0. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help) Cite error: The named reference "SteamSteel&Shellfire" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ Beeler, John (2001). Birth of the Battleship: British Capital Ship Design 1870-1881. Anapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-213-7. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  4. ^ Burt, R.A. (1988). British Battleships 1889-1904. Anapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-061-0.
  5. ^ a b Archibald, E.H.H. (1984). The Fighting Ship in the Royal Navy AD 897-1984. Dorset: Blansford Press. ISBN 0-7137-13488. Cite error: The named reference "FightingShipRN" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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