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Here I present the Development of the Nelson class Battleships HMS Nelson and Rodney, their various looks but more precisly the numerous refit proposals the Royal Navy envisioned for these two ships.
First Part: The Preliminaries
The final battleship design which became the Nelson class could be originated in the immidiate post war period of the 1920-21 Capital Ship series worked out just before the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 which included the N3 battleship and G3 battlecruiser proposals, but these will be part of a different thread.
The first two designs which eventually led to the Nelson class development were actually not Battleship designs but rather Battlecruisers the F2 and F3 designs. Their design work was ended in 1921 November.
Design F2 Battlecruiser
Design F2 was developed from the cancelled G3 design but as the WNT set the standard displacement of capital ships to 35.000tons major weight reductions had to be done. The Length was reduced by 30meters, speed by 2knots, Main armament was changed to 3 twin 15"/50 BL Mark II guns instead of the 16"/45 BL Mark I's, Secondary armament to 4 twin and 4 single 6"/50 BL Mark XXII guns instead of the 8 twins of G3 while the AA guns of 6 single 4,7"/40 QF Mark VIII and 8x multiple Pom-Poms remained the same, though the official drawings does not show the locations of the 4,7" AA guns the empty space aft on the deck is a clear indication of their proposed location in my opinion.
The armament layout was altered as well instead of the Bridge structure separating the 1st and 2nd turrets with the 3rd now all turrets are moved forward of the Bridge and the 3rd or X turret became the superfiring one in what was later adopted by the Japanese in the Mogami class cruisers. Secondary armament placed close o the bridge rather having in two groups as in G3. Heavy AA armament allocated aft while the Pom-Poms were placed next to the funnel and on the Stern.
The reduction of maximum speed resulted in smaller engineering compartment and together with the reduction in armament the citadel area which has to be armored shrunk considerably but still this was not enough to reach the desired displacement limit so armour thickness changed as well. Main belt incline altered to 18° from the prvious 25°, while Machinery Belt thickness remained at 305mm or 12" the Magazines belt reduced by 1inch from 356 to 330mm or 14" to 13". Deck armour was reduced by half and one inch respectively so from 102mm to 89mm over Machinery and from 203mm to 178mm over Magazines.
Engine power reduced from 180.000shp and 4 shafts to 112.000shp 2 shafts and speed from 32knots to 30knots.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 219,45 (pp) x 231,65 (oa) 32.3 x 10,4 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 112.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 56km/h (30knots)
Range: 13.000km (7.000nm)
Armour: 330mm Belt over Magazines, 305mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 178mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x2 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
4x2,4x1 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawing:
Design F3 Battlecruiser
Design F3 was developed in parallel with the previous F2 but utilizing triple instead of twin turrets which resulted in considerable increase in armament weight and such this had to be compensated with reductions elsewhere. But instead of sacrificing armour for the extra armament, speed and thus machinery power was reduced.
Hull wise F3 became shorter by a bit more than 6 meters, compared to F2, while hull width remained the same. As mentioned the main armament was changed from 3 twin 15" to 3 triple 15"/50 BL Mark II guns in the same layout as F2 but Secondary armament was reduced to just 4 twin mountings. AA weaponry unchanged.
Armour wise F3 only differs in having uniform 305mm or 12" Belt armour instead of the 13/12" of F2.
As stated above the weight allocated for the extra armament came from the Machinery section, as such Engine power reduced to 96.000shp and speed to 29knots.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 213,36 (pp) x 225,55 (oa) 32.3 x 8,7 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 96.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 54km/h (29knots)
Range: 13.000km (7.000nm)
Armour: 305mm Belt inclined at 18°, 178mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x3 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
4x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawing:
Design O3 Battleship Variant 1:
The second O3 design (The first one was a modified N3 variant but the letter officially was not allocated to the design due to it not being submitted formally) was the actual design which was developed into what became the Nelson Class. The design underwent a number of changes and tweaks before reaching adulthood.
DNC (Director of Naval Constructions) started working on the project on 1921 December and used the F3 Battlecruiser design as a basis but armament changed to the maximum allowable gun calibre, so 16" by the request of Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty. Twelve 6" guns , Six 4,7" AA and 4 Multiple Pom-Poms was desired. Belt armour would be 14" over Magazines, 13" over Machinery while Deck to be 8" and 4-5" respectively. This proto design had a displacement of 35.370tons.
Naval Architect Edward Lewis Attwood proposed variants based on this data. This is the first variant which uses the same turret layout as F3 the speed of 23knots or 46km/h with a powerplant of 45.000shp with 8 boilers, their placement reversed to that of the previous designs having the Turbines being forward and thus partly under the Bridge while the Boilers located aft so the funnel be located as far from the Bridge structure as possible. The hull is basically the same, only 2m longer between perpendiculars.
As mentioned the main armament layout was the same as of design F3 eg the 1st and 2nd 16" turrets are on the same level and the 3rd superfiring over the 2nd all positioned forward of the Bridge structure. Secondary armament was distributed in 6 twin turrets, 3 on each side, in a pyramidical arrangement (like on the Nelsons) but next to the Bridge while as usual the AA armament concentrated aft though due to weight restrictions only 4 AA guns were provided.
He also adjusted the deck armour to reduce tonnage instead of the desired 8" and 5" deck the new protective values became 7,5 and 5" respectively above Magazines and Machinery.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 216,41 (oa) 32,3 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 127mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
4x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Datapages:
View: https://i.imgur.com/pj9sNKK.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/QBzPoL6.jpeg
Official Sketch:
View: https://i.imgur.com/qEQHlP4.jpeg
Design O3 Battleship Variant 2:
Variant 2 of the O3 class battleship design which eventually led to the Nelson class battleships. On this proposal the 2nd and 3rd pair of 6" turrets moved a bit forward so does the funnel. The tripod mainmast too moved consdierable more forward to provide space for the 3rd pair of 4,7" AA guns just above the aftermost Pom-Pom guns. This resulted in reduced space for ship equipment like the ship's boats so I had to re-arrange them. Otherwise the desgin remains the same.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 216,41 (oa) 32,3 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 127mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Datapages:
https://i.imgur.com/pj9sNKK.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/QBzPoL6.jpeg
Official Sketch:
https://i.imgur.com/qEQHlP4.jpeg
Design O3 Battleship Variant 3:
Variant 3 of the O3 class battleship design which eventually led to the Nelson class battleships. On this proposal the entire main armament moved closer to each other and moved aft somewhat so does the secondary 6" turrets as well based on the sketch drawing, though this might be the result of the bad angle of the official papers photography.
The tripod mast too moved further aft and the placement of the aftermost 40mm Pom-Pom mounts on the shelter deck resulted in a much reduced space avaiable for the ship boats.
Machinery wise the arrangement of the boiler and engine rooms got reversed to the other proposals eg the boilers were forward and the turbines aft, moving the funnel further forward. Likley to reduce the funnel gases effect on the bridge, it's shape size and number of levels got reduced as well. Provision for a second Pom-Pom director was likely allocated on the the connign tower level.
Otherwise the design cgharacteristics remained the same.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 216,41 (oa) 32,3 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 127mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
4x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Datapages:
https://i.imgur.com/pj9sNKK.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/QBzPoL6.jpeg
Official Sketch:
https://i.imgur.com/F7s0Hmb.jpeg
Design P3:
While the last Nelson class design O3 underwent refinement, DNCS (Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff) Sir Tom Spencer Vaughan Phillips asked for two alternative versions both having the same armament (Except secondary guns) armour and displacement differing only in main armament layout.
The requirement was for 3 triple 15" turrets and the same secondary guns number of the G3/N3 designs (eg sixteen 6"/50).
DNC's answer were designs P3 and Q3.
Here I show the first variant, P3 where the main turret layout is the same as on the Battlecruiser design F3 eg all turrets forward with the 3rd being in a superfiring position. The secondary guns indeed increased from 12 barrels to 16 in twin turrets, with the majority located next to the bridge behind the 3rd 15" turret, while the last pair located on the very aft. Other armament remained the same eg 4 Multiple Pom-Poms, and 6x 4,7" AA guns. Regarding the AA guns weight was allocated for 6 mountings but the designer could only place 5, though the drawing shows the original 5th and 6th mounting position (as on my drawing) but likely the choice of removal of one mount was that it would be too close to the blast of the aftermost 6" turrets if fired directly aft.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,21 (pp) x 218,57 (oa) 31,7 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 256mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x3 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
8x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawings:
View: https://i.imgur.com/QpPzq6K.png
Datapages:
View: https://i.imgur.com/4sSjxU8.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/VqoaVJH.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/sgG4p18.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/99ZHJnB.jpeg
Design Q3:
While the last Nelson class design O3 underwent refinment, DNCS (Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff) Sir Tom Spencer Vaughan Phillips asked for two alternative versions both having the same armament (Except secondary guns) armour and displacement differing only in main armament layout.
The requirment was for 3 triple 15" turrets and the same secondary guns number of the G3/N3 designs (eg sixteen 6"/50).
DNC's asnwer were designs P3 and Q3.
Here I show the second variant, Q3 where the main turret layout is the same as on tN3 design of the 1920-21 series eg the 3rd turret was located behind the Bridge structure.
Due to blast issues the designers could not install all 8 twin 6" turrets on the hull hence on 6 was present. The official drawing of the P3 design shows that this layout does not require the change of the machinery position, only the funnel was moved and thus the uptakes became more steep for due to the need of space for the ship boats. The boat crane re-located to the tripod mast aft whose orientation reversed.
Other armament remained the same eg 4 Multiple Pom-Poms, and 6x 4,7" AA guns. Regarding the AA guns weight was allocated for 6 mountings but the designer could only place 5, which I understand due to the lack of space aft, but I managed to squeeze in all 6 mountings.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,21 (pp) x 218,57 (oa) 31,7 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 256mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x3 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
8x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
2x Aircrafts to be launched from turret tops presumably No.2 and No.3
Datapages:
View: https://i.imgur.com/4sSjxU8.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/VqoaVJH.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/sgG4p18.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/99ZHJnB.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/2AMooJZ.jpeg
Design O3 (Modified)
This drawing shows the Nelson class semi-final design as signed in 1922 January. This is is still not the Nelson as built but the differences are mostly minor. As the design evolved and the new technologies and equipment being developed took shape so does the weight of the new systems become known, most of the time heavier then anticipated while the requirement for six 4,7" guns, Pom-Pom armament (4 mountings) and searchlight number (4) together with the 16" main and 6" secondary armament remained the same. To cope with this DNC reduced the deck armour over Magazines from 191 to 171mm and over Machinery from 127 to 108mm, slightly reduce armour of the gun shields and corners of the main armament but increase the 6" turrets armour 1,5 and the forward part of the control tower to 2". These changes required to remain within the 35.000ton displacement limit.
Visually the most notable difference are the curved deck around the 6" twin turrets rather the angular one of the final design, the 6" Director Control Towers are located in front of the tripod Mainmast rather aft close to the aft 16" DCT, and the 5th ad 6th 4,7" AA guns were located on the stern one behind the other rather as side by side. Boat stowage is a bit different as well with a small platform overhand the first pair of 6" turrets to provide extra space.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 218,54 (oa) 31.7 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.500tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.200km (6.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 15°, 171mm Deck over Magazines, 108mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawing
First Part: The Preliminaries
The final battleship design which became the Nelson class could be originated in the immidiate post war period of the 1920-21 Capital Ship series worked out just before the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 which included the N3 battleship and G3 battlecruiser proposals, but these will be part of a different thread.
The first two designs which eventually led to the Nelson class development were actually not Battleship designs but rather Battlecruisers the F2 and F3 designs. Their design work was ended in 1921 November.
Design F2 Battlecruiser
Design F2 was developed from the cancelled G3 design but as the WNT set the standard displacement of capital ships to 35.000tons major weight reductions had to be done. The Length was reduced by 30meters, speed by 2knots, Main armament was changed to 3 twin 15"/50 BL Mark II guns instead of the 16"/45 BL Mark I's, Secondary armament to 4 twin and 4 single 6"/50 BL Mark XXII guns instead of the 8 twins of G3 while the AA guns of 6 single 4,7"/40 QF Mark VIII and 8x multiple Pom-Poms remained the same, though the official drawings does not show the locations of the 4,7" AA guns the empty space aft on the deck is a clear indication of their proposed location in my opinion.
The armament layout was altered as well instead of the Bridge structure separating the 1st and 2nd turrets with the 3rd now all turrets are moved forward of the Bridge and the 3rd or X turret became the superfiring one in what was later adopted by the Japanese in the Mogami class cruisers. Secondary armament placed close o the bridge rather having in two groups as in G3. Heavy AA armament allocated aft while the Pom-Poms were placed next to the funnel and on the Stern.
The reduction of maximum speed resulted in smaller engineering compartment and together with the reduction in armament the citadel area which has to be armored shrunk considerably but still this was not enough to reach the desired displacement limit so armour thickness changed as well. Main belt incline altered to 18° from the prvious 25°, while Machinery Belt thickness remained at 305mm or 12" the Magazines belt reduced by 1inch from 356 to 330mm or 14" to 13". Deck armour was reduced by half and one inch respectively so from 102mm to 89mm over Machinery and from 203mm to 178mm over Magazines.
Engine power reduced from 180.000shp and 4 shafts to 112.000shp 2 shafts and speed from 32knots to 30knots.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 219,45 (pp) x 231,65 (oa) 32.3 x 10,4 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 112.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 56km/h (30knots)
Range: 13.000km (7.000nm)
Armour: 330mm Belt over Magazines, 305mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 178mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x2 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
4x2,4x1 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawing:
Design F3 Battlecruiser
Design F3 was developed in parallel with the previous F2 but utilizing triple instead of twin turrets which resulted in considerable increase in armament weight and such this had to be compensated with reductions elsewhere. But instead of sacrificing armour for the extra armament, speed and thus machinery power was reduced.
Hull wise F3 became shorter by a bit more than 6 meters, compared to F2, while hull width remained the same. As mentioned the main armament was changed from 3 twin 15" to 3 triple 15"/50 BL Mark II guns in the same layout as F2 but Secondary armament was reduced to just 4 twin mountings. AA weaponry unchanged.
Armour wise F3 only differs in having uniform 305mm or 12" Belt armour instead of the 13/12" of F2.
As stated above the weight allocated for the extra armament came from the Machinery section, as such Engine power reduced to 96.000shp and speed to 29knots.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 213,36 (pp) x 225,55 (oa) 32.3 x 8,7 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 96.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 54km/h (29knots)
Range: 13.000km (7.000nm)
Armour: 305mm Belt inclined at 18°, 178mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x3 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
4x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawing:
Design O3 Battleship Variant 1:
The second O3 design (The first one was a modified N3 variant but the letter officially was not allocated to the design due to it not being submitted formally) was the actual design which was developed into what became the Nelson Class. The design underwent a number of changes and tweaks before reaching adulthood.
DNC (Director of Naval Constructions) started working on the project on 1921 December and used the F3 Battlecruiser design as a basis but armament changed to the maximum allowable gun calibre, so 16" by the request of Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty. Twelve 6" guns , Six 4,7" AA and 4 Multiple Pom-Poms was desired. Belt armour would be 14" over Magazines, 13" over Machinery while Deck to be 8" and 4-5" respectively. This proto design had a displacement of 35.370tons.
Naval Architect Edward Lewis Attwood proposed variants based on this data. This is the first variant which uses the same turret layout as F3 the speed of 23knots or 46km/h with a powerplant of 45.000shp with 8 boilers, their placement reversed to that of the previous designs having the Turbines being forward and thus partly under the Bridge while the Boilers located aft so the funnel be located as far from the Bridge structure as possible. The hull is basically the same, only 2m longer between perpendiculars.
As mentioned the main armament layout was the same as of design F3 eg the 1st and 2nd 16" turrets are on the same level and the 3rd superfiring over the 2nd all positioned forward of the Bridge structure. Secondary armament was distributed in 6 twin turrets, 3 on each side, in a pyramidical arrangement (like on the Nelsons) but next to the Bridge while as usual the AA armament concentrated aft though due to weight restrictions only 4 AA guns were provided.
He also adjusted the deck armour to reduce tonnage instead of the desired 8" and 5" deck the new protective values became 7,5 and 5" respectively above Magazines and Machinery.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 216,41 (oa) 32,3 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 127mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
4x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Datapages:
View: https://i.imgur.com/pj9sNKK.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/QBzPoL6.jpeg
Official Sketch:
View: https://i.imgur.com/qEQHlP4.jpeg
Design O3 Battleship Variant 2:
Variant 2 of the O3 class battleship design which eventually led to the Nelson class battleships. On this proposal the 2nd and 3rd pair of 6" turrets moved a bit forward so does the funnel. The tripod mainmast too moved consdierable more forward to provide space for the 3rd pair of 4,7" AA guns just above the aftermost Pom-Pom guns. This resulted in reduced space for ship equipment like the ship's boats so I had to re-arrange them. Otherwise the desgin remains the same.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 216,41 (oa) 32,3 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 127mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Datapages:
https://i.imgur.com/pj9sNKK.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/QBzPoL6.jpeg
Official Sketch:
https://i.imgur.com/qEQHlP4.jpeg
Design O3 Battleship Variant 3:
Variant 3 of the O3 class battleship design which eventually led to the Nelson class battleships. On this proposal the entire main armament moved closer to each other and moved aft somewhat so does the secondary 6" turrets as well based on the sketch drawing, though this might be the result of the bad angle of the official papers photography.
The tripod mast too moved further aft and the placement of the aftermost 40mm Pom-Pom mounts on the shelter deck resulted in a much reduced space avaiable for the ship boats.
Machinery wise the arrangement of the boiler and engine rooms got reversed to the other proposals eg the boilers were forward and the turbines aft, moving the funnel further forward. Likley to reduce the funnel gases effect on the bridge, it's shape size and number of levels got reduced as well. Provision for a second Pom-Pom director was likely allocated on the the connign tower level.
Otherwise the design cgharacteristics remained the same.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 216,41 (oa) 32,3 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 127mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
4x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Datapages:
https://i.imgur.com/pj9sNKK.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/QBzPoL6.jpeg
Official Sketch:
https://i.imgur.com/F7s0Hmb.jpeg
Design P3:
While the last Nelson class design O3 underwent refinement, DNCS (Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff) Sir Tom Spencer Vaughan Phillips asked for two alternative versions both having the same armament (Except secondary guns) armour and displacement differing only in main armament layout.
The requirement was for 3 triple 15" turrets and the same secondary guns number of the G3/N3 designs (eg sixteen 6"/50).
DNC's answer were designs P3 and Q3.
Here I show the first variant, P3 where the main turret layout is the same as on the Battlecruiser design F3 eg all turrets forward with the 3rd being in a superfiring position. The secondary guns indeed increased from 12 barrels to 16 in twin turrets, with the majority located next to the bridge behind the 3rd 15" turret, while the last pair located on the very aft. Other armament remained the same eg 4 Multiple Pom-Poms, and 6x 4,7" AA guns. Regarding the AA guns weight was allocated for 6 mountings but the designer could only place 5, though the drawing shows the original 5th and 6th mounting position (as on my drawing) but likely the choice of removal of one mount was that it would be too close to the blast of the aftermost 6" turrets if fired directly aft.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,21 (pp) x 218,57 (oa) 31,7 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 256mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x3 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
8x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawings:
View: https://i.imgur.com/QpPzq6K.png
Datapages:
View: https://i.imgur.com/4sSjxU8.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/VqoaVJH.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/sgG4p18.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/99ZHJnB.jpeg
Design Q3:
While the last Nelson class design O3 underwent refinment, DNCS (Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff) Sir Tom Spencer Vaughan Phillips asked for two alternative versions both having the same armament (Except secondary guns) armour and displacement differing only in main armament layout.
The requirment was for 3 triple 15" turrets and the same secondary guns number of the G3/N3 designs (eg sixteen 6"/50).
DNC's asnwer were designs P3 and Q3.
Here I show the second variant, Q3 where the main turret layout is the same as on tN3 design of the 1920-21 series eg the 3rd turret was located behind the Bridge structure.
Due to blast issues the designers could not install all 8 twin 6" turrets on the hull hence on 6 was present. The official drawing of the P3 design shows that this layout does not require the change of the machinery position, only the funnel was moved and thus the uptakes became more steep for due to the need of space for the ship boats. The boat crane re-located to the tripod mast aft whose orientation reversed.
Other armament remained the same eg 4 Multiple Pom-Poms, and 6x 4,7" AA guns. Regarding the AA guns weight was allocated for 6 mountings but the designer could only place 5, which I understand due to the lack of space aft, but I managed to squeeze in all 6 mountings.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,21 (pp) x 218,57 (oa) 31,7 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.000tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.100km (5.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 256mm over Machinery inclined at 18°, 191mm Deck over Magazines, 89mm over Machinery
Armaments:
3x3 15"/50 (381mm/50) BL Mark II Cannons,
8x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
2x Aircrafts to be launched from turret tops presumably No.2 and No.3
Datapages:
View: https://i.imgur.com/4sSjxU8.jpeg
View: https://i.imgur.com/VqoaVJH.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/sgG4p18.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/99ZHJnB.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/2AMooJZ.jpeg
Design O3 (Modified)
This drawing shows the Nelson class semi-final design as signed in 1922 January. This is is still not the Nelson as built but the differences are mostly minor. As the design evolved and the new technologies and equipment being developed took shape so does the weight of the new systems become known, most of the time heavier then anticipated while the requirement for six 4,7" guns, Pom-Pom armament (4 mountings) and searchlight number (4) together with the 16" main and 6" secondary armament remained the same. To cope with this DNC reduced the deck armour over Magazines from 191 to 171mm and over Machinery from 127 to 108mm, slightly reduce armour of the gun shields and corners of the main armament but increase the 6" turrets armour 1,5 and the forward part of the control tower to 2". These changes required to remain within the 35.000ton displacement limit.
Visually the most notable difference are the curved deck around the 6" twin turrets rather the angular one of the final design, the 6" Director Control Towers are located in front of the tripod Mainmast rather aft close to the aft 16" DCT, and the 5th ad 6th 4,7" AA guns were located on the stern one behind the other rather as side by side. Boat stowage is a bit different as well with a small platform overhand the first pair of 6" turrets to provide extra space.
The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 204,22 (pp) x 218,54 (oa) 31.7 x 9,14 meters
Displacement: 35.500tons (standard)
Engines: 45.000shp Steam Turbines engines, 2 shafts
Speed: 43km/h (23knots)
Range: 10.200km (6.500nm)
Armour: 356mm Belt over Magazines, 330mm over Machinery inclined at 15°, 171mm Deck over Magazines, 108mm over Machinery, 102mm Slopes
Armaments:
3x3 16"/45 (406mm/45) BL Mark I Cannons,
6x2 6"/50 (152mm/50) BL Mk XXII Guns,
6x1 4,7"/40 (120mm/40) QF Mk VIII AA Guns
4x8 40mm/39 QF Mk VIII AA Guns
2x1 622mm Underwater torpedo tubes
Based on official drawing
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