Battlecruisers

by John Arthur Roberts

The battlecruisers, brainchild of Admiral Sir John Fisher, combined heavy guns and high speed in the largest hulls of their era. Conceived as 'super-cruisers', to hunt down and destroy commerce raiders, their size and gun-power lead to their inclusion in the battlefleet as a fast squadron of capital ships.

This book traces the development of Fisher's original idea into the first battlecruiser Invincible of 1908, through to the 'Splendid Cats' of the Lion class, and culminating in HMS Hood in 1918, the largest warship in the world for the next twenty years. The origins of the unusual 'light battlecruisers' Courageous, Glorious and Furious, later to find fame as aircraft carriers, are also covered. The problems the class suffered are also examined, including the catastrophic loss of three battlecruisers at Jutland in 1916.

The developmental history of the battlecruisers is complemented by chapters covering machinery, armament and armour and a full listing of important technical information. With its superb plans and drawings and entirely original research, this book is essential reference for all naval historians, enthusiasts and modelmakers with an interest in the most charismatic and controversial warships of the battleship era.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Shyue Chou Chuang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume focuses on British battlecruisers. The volume discusses the origins of the battlecruiser, from the evolution of the armoured cruiser to present form. This is followed by a narrative of the design and construction from 1905 to 1914 and what it had entailed, the various designs examined, some of which were eventually realised. Tables of data such as that of the construction shipyards, the date of laying down, launching, completion are given, other tables include that of design calculations, dimensions, displacement and stability and more. Two pages of perspective drawings of the twin BVIII mounting for the 12" MkX 45 cal gun turret and forward superstructure of the HMS Queen Mary in 1913 are provided. The machinery is also discussed in a chapter as are the armament with steam trials data provided, and particulars of the guns. A chapter is devoted to the armour with diagrams showing the armour schemes. Included in the inner back cover of the volume are blueprints or rather schematics in a plastic side pocket. This is a superlative volume for the student of naval matters.

Note: This is a review for the older edition. There is a newer edition which is expanded and has more material.