Vanguard Class (1946) BB |
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HMS
Vanguard was completed as a class of one in Apr-1946. She was ordered
as part of an emergency war building programme. To speed her construction
the main armament came from the guns which were removed from HMS
Courageous (1917) BB and HMS
Glorious (1917) BB when they were converted to aircraft carriers
in the mid-1920's.
When they were fitted in Vanguard the turrets were modified to allow the guns to be elevated to 30º and thicker turret armour provided. The overall design was similar the 'King George V Class (1940)' (KGV), in particular the armoured protection. During construction the lessons of WW2 were learned. So changes were made to the damage control arrangements, and the originally designed close range anti-aircraft fit was considerably increased. Vanguard's forecastle was given a pronounced sheer to correct the wet problems caused by the KGV flat forecastle. Her funnels had raked cowls added to keep gases clear of the bridge. So her overall appearance was quite handsome, and she had the reputation of being a very good sea boat.
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This page last edited -
08 April, 2013.
Copyright © Ian M King, except where otherwise indicated. |