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Hood Class (1920) BC |
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Hood was built as a class of one and usually considered to be a
battlecruiser. But by the time she was built the lessons about the
vulnerability of lightly armoured battlecruisers had been learned, so Hood's
armour protection was increased considerably.
The requirement still remained for a fast ship, which required a long hull. So, in common with earlier battlecruisers she was considerably longer and heavier than her contemporary battleships. especially as she carried the armour protection of a battleship. She was the first large warship to have small-tube boilers which greatly increased her propulsive power and gave her a maximum speed of 32kt. Her armament was conventional at 15in guns with turrets allowing elevation to 30º. Her secondary guns were designed to provide protection against destroyers and returned to an open position high amidships. Different from the lower enclosed battery in the Queen Elizabeth Class (1915), this having proved liable to flooding in a seaway. At the time of building her anti-aircraft armament was minimum, but increased during each refit. ModificationsHood underwent a series of refits between 1929 and early 1940. A major reconstruction was planned to begin from late 1939 but outbreak of war meant it was not begun. By early 1940 the following main changes had been made.
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This page last edited -
23 January, 2013.
Copyright © Ian M King, except where otherwise indicated. |
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