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HMS Renown 1945

HMS Renown near Plymouth, England on August 2nd, 1945.

The Renown-class comprised a pair of battlecruisers built during the First World War for the Royal Navy. They were originally laid down as improved versions of the Revenge-class battleships. Their construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds they would not be ready in a timely manner. 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. They were the world's largest and fastest capital ships upon completion.

Repulse was the only ship of her 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; the 1920s reconstruction increased their armour protection and made lesser improvements, while the 1930s reconstruction was much more thorough, especially for Renown. Repulse accompanied the battlecruiser Hood during the Special Service Squadron's round-the-world cruise in 1923–24 and protected British interests during the Spanish Civil War between 1936–39. Renown frequently conveyed royalty on their foreign tours and served as flagship of the Battlecruiser Squadron when Hood was refitting.

Specifications[]

Original Configuration[]

  • Type: Battlecruiser
  • Service Period: 1916-1948
  • Characteristics:
    • Length: 794 feet 1.5 inches (242.05 meters)
    • Beam: 90 feet 1.75 inches (27.48 meters)
    • Draught: 27 feet (8.23 meters)
    • Displacement: 27,320 tons (Standard); 32,220 tons (Full Load)
  • Crew: 1,223
  • Propulsion: 4 × shafts, 2 × Steam turbine sets, 42 × water-tube boilers, 112,000 shp
  • Range: 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
  • Speed: 31.73 knots (58.76 km/h)
  • Armament:
    • 6 x BL 15"/42-caliber Mk.I naval guns (3x2)
    • 17 x BL 4"/45-caliber Mk.IX naval guns (5x3; 2x1)
    • 2 x QF 3"/45-caliber anti-aircraft guns (2x1)
    • 2 x 21" torpedo tubes (2x1)
  • Armour:
    • Belt: 3–6 in (76–152 mm)
    • Decks: 1–2.5 in (25–64 mm)
    • Barbettes: 4–7 in (102–178 mm)
    • Gun turrets: 7–9 in (178–229 mm)
    • Conning tower: 10 in (254 mm)
    • Bulkheads: 3–4 in (76–100 mm)

Refit Configuration[]

  • Type: Battlecruiser
  • Service Period: 1916-1948
  • Characteristics:
    • Length: 794 feet 2.5 inches (242.07 meters)
    • Beam: 90 feet 1.75 inches (27.48 meters)
    • Draught: 30 feet 8.5 inches (9.36 meters)
    • Displacement: 31,988 tons (Standard); 37,410 tons (Full Load)
  • Crew: 1,181
  • Propulsion: 4 × geared steam turbines, 4 × shafts, 8 × boilers, 120,000 shp
  • Range: 6,850 nautical miles (12,686 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
  • Speed: 32.25 knots (59.73 km/h)
  • Armament:
    • 6 x BL 15"/45-caliber Mk.II naval guns (3x2)
    • 20 x QF 4.5"/45-caliber Mk.III dual purpose guns (10x2)
    • 24 x QF 40mm/39-caliber anti-aircraft guns (3x8)
    • 16 x .50-caliber Vickers Mk.III machine guns (4x4)
  • Armour:
    • Belt: 3–9 in (76–229 mm)
    • Decks: 1–5 in (25–127 mm)
    • Barbettes: 4–7 in (102–178 mm)
    • Gun turrets: 7–9 in (178–229 mm)
    • Conning tower: 10 in (254 mm)
    • Bulkheads: 3–4 in (76–100 mm)

Unit Run[]

  • HMS Renown
  • HMS Repulse
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