View source for List of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy

{{Short description|None}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Royal_Navy_ship types}}

The [[battlecruiser]] was the brainchild of [[John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher|Admiral Sir John ("Jacky") Fisher]], the man who had sponsored the construction of the world's first "all big gun" warship, {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}}. He visualised a new breed of warship with the [[naval artillery|armament]] of a battleship, but faster, lighter, and less heavily armoured. The first three battlecruisers, the {{sclass|Invincible|battlecruiser|4}}, were [[laid down]] while ''Dreadnought'' was being built in 1906.<ref>Roberts, pp. 19–25</ref>

This design philosophy was most successful in action when the battlecruisers could use their speed to run down smaller and weaker ships. The best example is the [[Battle of the Falkland Islands]] where {{HMS|Invincible|1907|2}} and {{HMS|Inflexible|1907|2}} sank the German armoured cruisers {{SMS|Scharnhorst}} and {{SMS|Gneisenau}} almost without damage to themselves, despite numerous hits by the German ships.<ref name=g24>Gardiner, pp. 24–25</ref> They were less successful against heavily armoured ships, as was demonstrated by the loss of ''Invincible'', {{HMS|Indefatigable|1909|2}}, and {{HMS|Queen Mary||2}} during the [[Battle of Jutland]] in 1916. All three ships were destroyed by more heavily armoured German battlecruisers,<ref>Gardiner, pp. 16–17, 24</ref> with the British failure to prevent fires or explosions in the [[gun turret]]s from reaching the [[magazine (artillery)|magazines]] also playing a role in the losses.<ref name=g24/>

Of the battlecruisers built before the [[First World War]], the ''Invincible'' class and ''Indefatigable'' class all had {{convert|6|in|0}} of armour on their [[waterline]], a top speed of {{convert|25|kn|lk=in}}, and eight {{convert|12|in|0|adj=on}} guns. The more advanced battlecruisers—the two ''Lion''-class ships, ''Queen Mary'', and {{HMS|Tiger|1913|6}}—all had an armour [[Belt armor|belt]] of {{convert|9|in|0}}, speeds over {{convert|28|kn}}, and eight {{convert|13.5|in|0|adj=on}} guns.<ref>Roberts, pp. 76, 83, 112–13</ref> The ''Renown'' and ''Courageous'' classes, built during the war, were begun when Admiral Fisher was appointed [[First Sea Lord]] for the second time in late 1914. Each of these classes in turn served as the fastest [[capital ship]]s in the world and were heavily armed with four or six {{convert|15|in|0|adj=on}} guns, but they paid for their speed and armament by having less armour than battleships.<ref>Burt 1986, pp. 291–315</ref> {{HMS|Hood|51|6}} was laid down during the war, but was extensively reworked with more armour based on the experience gained at the Battle of Jutland, and was not completed until after the war.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 60–70</ref>

Following the war, the British planned to build the [[G3 battlecruiser|G3 class]], which had the same armament and armour as battleships of the time and were rated as battlecruisers only by comparison to the more heavily armoured and slower battleships also planned. They were cancelled as they exceeded the tonnage limits of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]].<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 90–101</ref> Of the first nine battlecruisers, only HMS ''Tiger'' survived the Washington Treaty and into the 1930s. The three ''Courageous''-class ships were converted to [[aircraft carrier]]s during the 1920s and only ''Repulse'', ''Renown'' and ''Hood'' served in the [[Second World War]] as battlecruisers. All three went through substantial refits between the wars. ''Hood'' was lost in the [[battle of the Denmark Strait]], ''Repulse'' was sunk by Japanese aircraft at the start of the [[Pacific War|war in the Pacific]], and ''Renown'' survived the war to be [[ship breaking|scrapped]] in 1948.<ref>Campbell, pp. 64, 67–68, 72</ref>

==Key==
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
| '''Main guns'''
| The number and type of the [[main battery]] guns
|-
| '''Armour'''
| [[Belt armor|Waterline belt]] thickness
|-
| '''Displacement'''
| [[Displacement (ship)|Ship displacement]] at [[deep load]]
|-
| '''Propulsion'''
| Number of [[Drive shaft#Marine drive shafts|shafts]], type of propulsion system, and top speed in [[knot (unit)|knots]]
|-
| '''Service'''
| The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate
|-
| '''Laid down'''
| The date the [[keel]] began to be assembled
|-
| '''Commissioned'''
| The date the ship was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]]
|}

==''Invincible'' class==
{{Main|Invincible-class battlecruiser}}

[[File:Inflexible LOC det 4a16122.jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Inflexible'' about 1909]]
The ''Invincible''-class ships were the first battlecruisers<ref group=Note>These ships were formally known as armoured cruisers until 1911, when they were re-designated as battlecruisers by an Admiralty order of 24 November 1911. Unofficially a number of designations were used until then, including cruiser-battleship, dreadnought cruiser, and battle-cruiser. See Roberts, pp. 24–25</ref> in the world. The design resembled that of HMS ''Dreadnought'', but sacrificed armour protection and one [[gun turret]] from the main battery for a {{convert|4|knots|lk=in|adj=on}} speed advantage. During the First World War ''Inflexible'' and ''Indomitable'' participated in the unsuccessful [[Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau|pursuit of the German ships ''Goeben'' and ''Breslau'']] in the Mediterranean. ''Inflexible'' was recalled home shortly afterwards, but ''Indomitable'' remained off the Dardanelles to bottle up the German ships for the rest of 1914 before returning to the UK. ''Invincible'' and ''Inflexible'' were sent to the South Atlantic in late 1914 to hunt down the German [[East Asia Squadron]] and destroyed it at the [[Battle of the Falkland Islands]]. ''Indomitable'' participated in the [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Battle of Dogger Bank]] in the [[North Sea]] in early 1915 while ''Inflexible'' was badly damaged during the opening stages of the [[Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign|Dardanelles Campaign]]. The ships formed the [[3rd Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)|3rd Battlecruiser Squadron]] at [[Battle of Jutland|Jutland]] where ''Invincible'' was destroyed by the explosion of an [[magazine (artillery)|artillery magazine]]. The two surviving ships spent the rest of the war conducting patrols of the North Sea, as the [[High Seas Fleet]] was forbidden by the [[Kaiser]] to risk any more losses. They were put into reserve in early 1919 and sold for scrap on 1 December 1921.<ref>Burt 1986, pp. 48, 50–52, 54–58</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Commissioned
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Invincible|1907|6}}
| align= center rowspan=3  | 8 × 12-inch (305&nbsp;mm)<ref name=r83>Roberts, p. 83</ref>
| align= center rowspan=3 | {{convert|6|in|0}}<ref name=r112>Roberts, p. 112</ref>
| align= center rowspan=3 | {{convert|20420|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r44>Roberts, p. 44</ref>
| align= center rowspan=3 | {{nowrap|4 screws, steam turbines,}}<br />{{convert|25|kn|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76>Roberts, p. 76</ref>
| align= center |2&nbsp;April&nbsp;1906<ref name=r41>Roberts, p. 41</ref>
| align= center|20&nbsp;March&nbsp;1909<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | Exploded at the Battle of Jutland, 1916<ref name=r122>Roberts, p. 122</ref>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Inflexible|1907|6}}
| align= center | 5&nbsp;February&nbsp;1906<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 20&nbsp;October&nbsp;1908<ref name=r41/>
| align= left rowspan=2 | {{nowrap|Sold for scrap,}} 1&nbsp;December&nbsp;1921<ref name=r122/>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Indomitable|1907|6}}
| align= center | 1&nbsp;March&nbsp;1906<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 20&nbsp;June&nbsp;1908<ref name=r41/>
|}

==''Indefatigable'' class==
{{Main|Indefatigable-class battlecruiser}}

[[File:Indefatigable class battlecruiser with aircraft c1918.jpg|thumb|right|HMAS ''Australia'' or HMS ''New Zealand'' about 1918 with aircraft carried above her midships turrets]]
The design of the ''Indefatigable'' class represented a modest reworking of the preceding {{sclass|Invincible|battlecruiser|2}}s, featuring increased endurance and an improved cross-deck arc of fire for their midships [[wing turret]]s achieved by lengthening the hull. Like its predecessor, the design resembled the [[Neptune-class battleship|contemporary dreadnought]], but sacrificed armour protection and one turret from the main battery for a 4-knot speed advantage. Originally {{HMS|Indefatigable|1909|2}} was the only ship of the class, but {{HMAS|Australia|1911|6}} and {{HMS|New Zealand|1911|6}} were later built as part of a scheme to improve the defense of the [[British Dominions|Dominions]] by having each Dominion purchase a "fleet unit" of one battlecruiser, three light cruisers, and six destroyers. New Zealand agreed to fund one battlecruiser and chose a modified ''Indefatigable'' design rather than the {{sclass|Lion|battlecruiser|2}} then being built for the Royal Navy.<ref>Roberts, pp. 28–29, 31</ref><ref>Lambert, pp. 64–67</ref>

They spent most of the war patrolling the North Sea and participated in most of the battles there. 
Of the two, only ''New Zealand'' was in the United Kingdom when the war began. ''Indefatigable'' was in the [[Mediterranean]], where she unsuccessfully pursued the German warships {{SMS|Goeben||2}} and {{SMS|Breslau||2}} as they sailed towards [[Turkey]]. ''New Zealand'' participated in some of the early actions in the North Sea, including the [[Battle of Heligoland (1914)|Battle of Heligoland Bight]] and the inconclusive [[Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby|Scarborough Raid]]. ''Indefatigable'' and ''New Zealand'' participated in the Battle of Jutland, where the former was destroyed by a magazine explosion after numerous hits from the battlecruiser {{SMS|Von der Tann}}. ''New Zealand'' patrolled uneventfully after Jutland, watching for the next appearance of the High Seas Fleet. She conducted Admiral [[John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe|Jellicoe]] on his tour of India and the Dominions after the war. ''New Zealand'' was sold for scrap in 1922 to comply with the Washington Naval Treaty.<ref>Campbell, p. 18</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Commissioned
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Indefatigable|1909|6}}
| align= center rowspan=2  | 8 × 12-inch<ref name=r83/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | 6&nbsp;inches<ref name=r112/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | {{convert|22430|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r44/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | 4 screws, steam turbines,<br />{{convert|25|kn|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
| align= center | 23&nbsp;February&nbsp;1909<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 24&nbsp;February&nbsp;1911<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | Exploded at the Battle of Jutland, 1916<ref name=r122/>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|New Zealand|1911|6}}
| align= center | 20&nbsp;June&nbsp;1910<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 19&nbsp;November&nbsp;1912<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | Sold for scrap, 19 December 1922<ref name=r123>Roberts, p. 123</ref>
|}

==''Lion'' class==
{{Main|Lion-class battlecruiser}}

[[File:HMS Lion (Lion-class battlecruiser).jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Lion'' in 1915]]
The ''Lion'' class, nicknamed the "Splendid Cats",<ref name=c24>Preston, p. 29</ref> were a significant improvement over their predecessors of the {{sclass|Indefatigable|battlecruiser|4}} in speed, armament, and armour. The ''Lion''-class ships were {{convert|2|kn}} faster, exchanged the {{convert|12|in|adj=on|0}} guns of the older ships for {{convert|13.5|in|adj=on|0}} guns, and had a [[Belt armor|waterline belt]] {{convert|9|in|0}} thick versus the {{convert|6|in|0}} of the ''Indefatigable''s. These improvements were in response to the German {{sclass|Moltke|battlecruiser|4}}, Germany's second class of battlecruisers, which were larger and more powerful than the first British battlecruisers of the ''Invincible'' class.<ref>Roberts, pp. 31–33</ref>

HMS ''Lion'' served as the [[flagship]] of the [[Grand Fleet]]'s battlecruisers throughout the First World War, except when she was being refitted or under repair.<ref name=c9>Campbell, p. 29</ref> She sank the German [[light cruiser]] {{SMS|Cöln|1909|2}} during the Battle of Heligoland Bight and served as [[Vice Admiral]] [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|Beatty's]] flagship at the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland. She was so badly damaged at the first of these battles that she had to be towed back to port by {{HMS|Indomitable|1907|6}} and was under repair for more than two months. During the Battle of Jutland she suffered a serious propellant fire that destroyed one gun turret, which had to be removed and rebuilt while the ship was under repair for several months.<ref name=c92>Campbell, pp. 29–32</ref>

''Princess Royal'' served in the Battle of Heligoland Bight a month after the war began and then was sent to the Caribbean to prevent the East Asia Squadron from using the Panama Canal. After the East Asia Squadron was sunk at the Battle of the Falkland Islands by the two ''Invincible''-class battlecruisers, ''Princess Royal'' rejoined the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron. During the Battle of Dogger Bank she scored only a few hits, although one directly crippled the German [[armoured cruiser]] {{SMS|Blücher||2}}, which allowed the enemy vessel to be caught and sunk by the concentrated fire of the British battlecruisers. Shortly afterwards ''Princess Royal'' became the flagship of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron, under the command of [[Rear Admiral]] [[Osmond Brock]]. She was moderately damaged during the Battle of Jutland and required a month and a half of repairs. Both ships spent the rest of the war on uneventful patrols in the North Sea, although they did provide distant cover during the [[Second Battle of Heligoland Bight]] in 1917. In 1920 they were both put into reserve and were sold for scrap a few years later under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.<ref name=c92/>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Commissioned
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Lion|1910|6}}
| align= center rowspan=2  | 8 × 13.5-inch (343&nbsp;mm)<ref name=r83/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | {{convert|9|in|0}}<ref name=r112/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | {{convert|30820|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r44/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | 4 screws, steam turbines,<br />{{convert|28|knots|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
| align= center | 29&nbsp;November&nbsp;1909<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 4&nbsp;June&nbsp;1912<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | Sold for scrap, 31 January 1924<ref name=r123/>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Princess Royal|1911|6}}
| align= center | 2&nbsp;May&nbsp;1910<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 14&nbsp;November&nbsp;1912<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | Scrapped beginning 13 August 1923<ref name=r123/>
|}

==HMS ''Queen Mary''==
{{Main|HMS Queen Mary}}

[[File:QueenMary.jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Queen Mary'' underway]]
HMS ''Queen Mary'' was similar to the ''Lion''-class battlecruisers, though she was slightly larger and given more powerful engines to achieve the same speed as the earlier ships. Her secondary guns were better protected and some of her belt armour was redistributed. She was the last battlecruiser completed before the beginning of the war, and she participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight shortly after the war began. As part of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron, she unsuccessfully attempted to intercept a German force that bombarded the North Sea coast of England in December 1914. She was refitting during the Battle of Dogger Bank in early 1915, but participated in the next major fleet action of the war, the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916. ''Queen Mary'' hit the German battlecruiser {{SMS|Seydlitz}} early in the battle and burnt out one of that ship's rear turrets. ''Seydlitz'' later knocked out one of ''Queen Mary''{{'}}s main guns. The German battlecruiser {{SMS|Derfflinger}}, in the meantime, had lost sight of her previous target in the haze and switched to ''Queen Mary''. Within 10 minutes, ''Queen Mary'' was hit twice, exploding shortly afterwards.<ref>Campbell, p. 34</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Commissioned
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |HMS ''Queen Mary''
| align= center  | 8 × 13.5-inch<ref name=r83/>
| align= center | 9&nbsp;inches<ref name=r112/>
| align= center | {{convert|31844|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r45>Roberts, p. 45</ref>
| align= center | 4 screws, steam turbines, {{convert|28|kn|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
| align= center | 6&nbsp;March&nbsp;1911<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 4&nbsp;September&nbsp;1913<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | Exploded at the Battle of Jutland, 1916<ref name=r123/>
|}

==HMS ''Tiger''==
{{Main|HMS Tiger (1913)}}

[[File:HMS Tiger in drydock WWI NAC PA-007106.jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Tiger'' in drydock about 1916–17]]
HMS ''Tiger'' was the most heavily armoured battlecruiser of the Royal Navy at the start of the First World War, although she was still being finished when the war began. The ship was assigned to the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron for the duration of the war and participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank in early 1915 even though she was still [[shakedown cruise|shaking down]] and did not perform well. She next participated in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 where she was one of the British battlecruisers most often hit by German shells; she was only lightly damaged. She spent the rest of the war on uneventful patrols in the North Sea, although she did provide distant cover during the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight.<ref>Campbell, pp. 40, 42</ref>

''Tiger'' was the oldest battlecruiser retained by the Royal Navy after the tonnage limits of the Washington Naval Treaty came into effect in 1922.<ref name=b0/> She became a gunnery training ship in 1924 and joined the Battlecruiser Squadron in 1929 while its flagship, {{HMS|Hood|51|6}}, underwent a lengthy refit. Upon ''Hood''{{'}}s return to service in 1931, ''Tiger'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] and sold for scrap in 1932 in accordance with the terms of the [[London Naval Treaty]] of 1930.<ref name=b0>Burt 1986, p. 220</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Commissioned
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |HMS ''Tiger''
| align= center  | 8 × 13.5-inch<ref name=r83/>
| align= center | 9&nbsp;inches<ref name=r112/>
| align= center | {{convert|33260|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r45>Roberts, p. 45</ref>
| align= center | 4 screws, steam turbines,<br />{{convert|28|kn|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
| align= center | 6&nbsp;June&nbsp;1912<ref name=r41/>
| align= center| 3&nbsp;October&nbsp;1914<ref name=r41/>
| align= left | {{nowrap|Sold for scrap,}} February&nbsp;1932<ref name=r123/>
|}

==''Renown'' class==
{{Main|Renown-class battlecruiser}}
[[File:Renown-7.jpg|thumb|right|''Repulse'' leading ''Renown'' and other capital ships during the late 1920s]]

The ''Renown''-class ships were originally laid down as improved versions of the {{sclass|Revenge|battleship|2}}s. Construction was suspended at the outbreak of the war on the grounds they would not be ready in time. Admiral Lord Fisher, upon becoming First Sea Lord, gained approval to restart their construction as battlecruisers that could be built and enter service quickly. The [[Director of Naval Construction]] (DNC), [[Eustace Tennyson-D'Eyncourt]], quickly produced an entirely new design to meet Admiral Lord Fisher's requirements and the builders agreed to deliver the ships in 15 months. They did not quite meet that ambitious goal, but they were delivered a few months after the Battle of Jutland in 1916.<ref>Roberts, pp. 46–47, 59–50</ref> They were the world's fastest capital ships upon completion.<ref>Burt 1986, pp. 291–95, 97</ref>

{{HMS|Repulse|1916|6}} was the only ship of the class to see combat in the First World War when she participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in 1917. Both ships were reconstructed twice between the wars; their armour protection was increased along with other lesser improvements in the 1920s, while a much more thorough reconstruction was done in the 1930s, especially for {{HMS|Renown|1916|6}}. Both ships served during the [[Second World War]]; they searched for the {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Graf Spee}} in 1939, participated in the [[Norwegian Campaign]] of April–June 1940, and searched for the {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck}} in 1941. ''Repulse'' was sunk on 10 December 1941 in the [[South China Sea]] off [[Kuantan]], [[Pahang]], by Japanese aircraft.<ref name=b12/>

''Renown'' spent much of 1940 and 1941 assigned to [[Force H]] at [[Gibraltar]] escorting convoys, and she fought in the inconclusive [[Battle of Cape Spartivento]]. She was briefly assigned to the [[Home Fleet]] and provided cover to several [[Arctic convoy]]s in early 1942. The ship was transferred back to Force H for [[Operation Torch]] and spent much of 1943 refitting and transporting [[Winston Churchill]] and his staff to and from various [[List of World War II conferences|conferences]] with Allied leaders. In early 1944 ''Renown'' was transferred to the [[Eastern Fleet]] in the Indian Ocean, where she supported numerous attacks on Japanese-occupied facilities in [[Indonesia]] and various island groups in the Indian Ocean. The ship returned to the Home Fleet in early 1945 and was placed in [[Wikt:mothball|reserve]] after the end of the war. ''Renown'' was sold for scrap in 1948.<ref name=b12>Burt 1986, pp. 301–02</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Completed
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Renown|1916|6}}
| align= center rowspan=2 | 6 × 15-inch (381&nbsp;mm)<ref name=r83/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | 6&nbsp;inches<ref name=r113>Roberts, p. 113</ref>
| align= center rowspan=2 | {{convert|32220|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r65>Roberts, p. 65</ref>
| align= center rowspan=2 | 4 screws, steam turbines, {{convert|31.5|knots|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
| align= center | 25&nbsp;January&nbsp;1915<ref name=r63>Roberts, p. 63</ref>
| align= center| 20&nbsp;September&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
| align= left | Sold for scrap, August 1948<ref name=r123/>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Repulse|1916|6}}
| align= center | 25&nbsp;January&nbsp;1915<ref name=r63/>
| align= center| 14&nbsp;November&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
| align= left | Sunk by Japanese air attack 10 December 1941<ref name=r123/>
|}

==''Courageous'' class==
{{Main|Courageous-class battlecruiser}}

[[File:HMS Furious-1.jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Furious'' as first completed in 1917 with a flying-off deck forward and a single 18-inch turret aft]]
The ''Courageous'' class comprised three [[battlecruisers]], known as "large light cruisers", that were nominally designed to support [[Admiral of the Fleet]] Lord John Fisher's [[Baltic Project]], which was intended to land troops on the German Baltic Coast. The ships of this [[ship class|class]] were fast but very lightly armoured with only a few heavy guns. They were given a shallow [[draft (nautical)|draught]], in part to allow them to operate in the shallow waters of the Baltic but also reflecting experience gained earlier in the war. To maximize their speed, the ''Courageous'' class were the first [[capital ship]]s of the Royal Navy to use geared [[steam turbine]]s and [[water-tube boiler|small-tube boilers]].<ref>Roberts, pp. 50–54</ref> This made them the fastest capital ships in existence, slightly faster than even the ''Renown''-class ships.<ref>Burt 1986, p. 309</ref>

The first two ships, {{HMS|Courageous|50|6}} and {{HMS|Glorious}}, were commissioned in 1917 and spent the war patrolling the North Sea. They participated in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight and were present when the High Seas Fleet surrendered a year later. Their [[sister ship|half-sister]] {{HMS|Furious|47|6}} was designed with a pair of {{convert|18|in|0|adj=on}} guns, the largest guns ever fitted on a ship of the Royal Navy, but was modified during construction to take a [[flight deck|flying-off deck]] and hangar in lieu of her forward turret and [[barbette]]. After some patrols in the North Sea her rear turret was removed and another flight deck added. Her aircraft attacked the [[Zeppelin]] sheds during the [[Tondern raid]] in July 1918.<ref>Campbell, pp. 67–68</ref> All three ships were [[Reserve Fleet (United Kingdom)|laid up]] after the end of the war, but were rebuilt as [[aircraft carrier]]s during the 1920s. ''Glorious'' and ''Courageous'' were sunk early in the Second World War and ''Furious'' was sold for scrap in 1948.<ref>Burt 1986, pp. 314–15</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Completed
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Courageous|50|6}}
| align= center rowspan=2 | 4 × 15-inch<ref name=r83/>
| align= center rowspan=3 | {{convert|2|in}}<ref name=r113/>
| align= center rowspan=2 | {{convert|22560|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r65>Roberts, p. 65</ref>
| align= center rowspan=3 | 4 screws, steam turbines,<br />{{convert|32|knots|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
| align= center | 28&nbsp;March&nbsp;1915<ref name=r63>Roberts, p. 63</ref>
| align= center| 28&nbsp;October&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
| align= left | Sunk by {{GS|U-29|1936|2}}, 17&nbsp;September&nbsp;1939<ref name=r123/>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Glorious}}
| align= center | 1&nbsp;May&nbsp;1915<ref name=r63/>
| align= center| 14&nbsp;October&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
| align= left | Sunk by the German battleships {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst||2}} and {{ship|German battleship|Gneisenau||2}} 8 June 1940<ref name=r123/>
|- valign="center"
| align= left |{{HMS|Furious|47|6}}
| align= center | 2 × 18-inch (457&nbsp;mm)<ref name=r83/>
| align= center | {{convert|22890|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r65/>
| align= center | 8&nbsp;June&nbsp;1915<ref name=r63/>
| align= center| 26&nbsp;June&nbsp;1917<ref name=r63/>
| align= left | Sold for scrap, 15 March 1948<ref name=r123/>
|}

==Admiral class==
{{Main|Admiral-class battlecruiser}}

[[File:HMS Hood h60404.jpg|thumb|right|HMS ''Hood'' in 1924]]
The Admiral-class battlecruisers were intended as improved versions of the {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|battleship|2}}s, but were recast as battlecruisers after Admiral John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, saw no real need for more battleships. A [[Mackensen-class battlecruiser|number of German battlecruisers]] had been [[laid down]] that were superior to the bulk of the Grand Fleet's battlecruisers so the design was revised to counter these. The class was going to consist of ''Hood'', ''Anson'', ''Howe'', and ''Rodney''—all names of famous Admirals—but the latter three ships were suspended as the material and labour required to complete them was needed for higher-priority merchantmen and escort vessels. Their designs were updated to incorporate the lessons from the Battle of Jutland, but the Admiralty eventually decided that it was better to begin again with a clean-slate design so they were cancelled in 1919.<ref>Campbell, pp. 69–72</ref>

''Hood'', however, was sufficiently advanced in construction that she was completed in 1920 and immediately became flagship of the [[Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)|Battlecruiser Squadron]] of the [[Atlantic Fleet (United Kingdom)|Atlantic Fleet]]. In 1923–24 ''Hood'', accompanied by ''Repulse'' and a number of {{sclass|Danae|cruiser|2}}s, sailed [[Cruise of the Special Service Squadron|around the world]] from west to east via the [[Panama Canal]]. On 23 April 1937, after the beginning of the [[Spanish Civil War]], she escorted three British merchantmen into [[Bilbao]] harbour despite the presence of the [[Spanish State|Nationalist]] cruiser {{ship|Spanish cruiser|Almirante Cervera||2}} that attempted to blockade the port.<ref>Taylor, pp. 172–73, 238–40</ref> ''Hood'' spent most of the early part of the Second World War patrolling against German commerce raiders and escorting convoys. As flagship of Force H based at Gibraltar, she bombarded French ships during the [[attack on Mers-el-Kébir]]. In May 1941 ''Hood'' and the battleship {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} were ordered to intercept the German battleship ''Bismarck'' and the [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|German cruiser|Prinz Eugen||2}} as they attempted to break out into the North Atlantic. In the subsequent [[Battle of the Denmark Strait]] ''Hood''{{'}}s aft magazines exploded, sinking her within five minutes of the start of the battle.<ref>Burt 1993, pp. 308–13</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=3 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Completed
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
|{{HMS|Hood}}
| align= center rowspan=4 | 8 × 15-inch (381&nbsp;mm)<ref name=r83/>
| align= center rowspan=4 | 12&nbsp;inches<ref name=r113/>
| align= center rowspan=4 | {{convert|46680|LT|t|0}}<ref name=r65>Roberts, p. 65</ref>
| align= center rowspan=4 | 4 screws, steam turbines,<br />{{convert|32|knots|abbr=on}}<ref name=r76/>
|align=center |1&nbsp;September&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
|align=center |15&nbsp;May&nbsp;1920<ref name=r63/>
|align=center |Sunk 24 May 1941 by the {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck}}
|- valign="center"
|{{HMS|Anson|1916|6}}
|align=center |9&nbsp;November&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
|align=center rowspan=3|Suspended March 1917<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 75</ref>
|align=center rowspan=3 |Cancelled 27 February 1919<ref>Roberts, p. 61</ref>
|- valign="center"
|{{HMS|Howe|1916|6}}
|align=center |16&nbsp;October&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
|- valign="center"
|{{HMS|Rodney|1916|6}}
|align=center|9&nbsp;October&nbsp;1916<ref name=r63/>
|}

==G3 battlecruiser==
{{Main|G3 battlecruiser}}

The G3 battlecruisers were planned as a response to naval expansion programmes by the United States and Japan. The four ships of this class would have been larger, faster, and more heavily armed than any existing battleship (although several projected foreign ships would be larger). The "battlecruiser" designation came from their higher speed and lesser firepower and armour relative to the planned [[N3-class battleship]] design. The G3s would have carried nine {{convert|16|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} guns and were expected to achieve {{convert|32|knots}}, while the N3s would carry nine {{convert|18|in|mm|adj=on|sigfig=3}} guns on the same displacement at the expense of a slower speed. While officially referred to as "battlecruisers", the G3s have also been considered "[[fast battleship]]s".<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 90</ref>

The G3 design was approved by the [[Board of Admiralty]] on 12 August 1921. Orders were placed in October and November, but were suspended later in November with the beginning of the [[Washington Naval Conference]], which limited battleship numbers. The orders were cancelled in February 1922 with the ratification of the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited construction to ships of no more than {{convert|35000|LT|t|adj=on}} displacement.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 98, 108</ref>

{| class="wikitable" width=100%
|- valign="top"
! align= center rowspan=2 | Ship
! align= center rowspan=2 | Main guns
! align= center rowspan=2 | Armour
! align= center rowspan=2 | Displacement
! align= center rowspan=2 | Propulsion
! align= center colspan=2 | Service
|-valign="top"
! align= center | Laid down
! align= center | Fate
|- valign="center"
| align= center |G3 battlecruiser
| align= center  | 9 × 16-inch (406&nbsp;mm)<ref name=b2>Raven and Roberts, p. 101</ref>
| align= center | {{convert|14|in|0}}<ref name=b1>Raven and Roberts, p. 99</ref>
| align= center | {{convert|53909|LT|t|0}}<ref name=b2/>
| align= center | 4 screws, steam turbines, {{convert|31|kn|abbr=on}}<ref name=b1/>
| align= center | Ordered 26&nbsp;October&nbsp;1921<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 98</ref>
| align= center | Cancelled February 1922<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 108</ref>
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==

* {{cite book|last=Burt|first=R. A.|title=British Battleships, 1919–1939|year=1993|publisher=Arms and Armour Press|location=London|isbn=1-85409-068-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Burt|first=R. A.|title=British Battleships of World War One|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, MD|year=1986|isbn=0-87021-863-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Campbell |first=N. J. M. |title=Battle Cruisers: The Design and Development of British and German Battlecruisers of the First World War Era |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich |year=1978 |series=Warship Special |volume=1 |isbn=0-85177-130-0 |oclc=5991550}}
* {{cite book|editor=Gardiner, Robert|title=The Eclipse of the Big Gun: The Warship 1906–45|orig-year=1992|series=Conway's History of the Ship|year=2001|publisher=Chartwell Books|location=Edison, New Jersey|isbn=0-7858-1414-0|oclc=51940554}}
* {{cite book |last=Lambert|first=Nicholas|title = Far-Flung Lines: Essays on Imperial Defense in Honour of Donald Mackenzie Schurman|year=1996| publisher = Frank Cass|location=London|chapter=Economy or Empire?: The Fleet Unit Concept and the Quest for Collective Security in the Pacific, 1909–14| isbn= 0-7146-4216-9}}
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Gray|editor1-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |year=1985 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-85177-245-5 |name-list-style=amp |chapter=Great Britain and Empire Forces|first1=Antony|last1=Preston|author-link=Antony Preston|pages=1–104}}
* {{cite book|last=Raven|first=Alan|author2=Roberts, John |title=British Battleships of World War Two: The Development and Technical History of the Royal Navy's Battleship and Battlecruisers from 1911 to 1946|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1976|isbn=0-87021-817-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Roberts |first=John |title=Battlecruisers |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |year=1997 |isbn=1-55750-068-1 |oclc=38581302}}
* {{Cite book
 | first = Bruce
 | last = Taylor
 | title = The Battlecruiser HMS Hood: An Illustrated Biography, 1916–1941
 | publisher = Naval Institute Press
 | location = Annapolis, MD
 | year = 2008
 | isbn=978-1-86176-216-0
}}

{{Battlecruisers of the world}}
{{featured list}}

[[Category:Battlecruisers of the Royal Navy| ]]
[[Category:Lists of Royal Navy ships by type|Battlecruisers]]
[[Category:Lists of battlecruisers|Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United Kingdom|Royal Navy]]