British Nelson-class battleships HMS Nelson and HMS Rodney were exceptional ships. They were designed according to the provisions of the Washington Treaty, which made them distinguished by the original arrangement of weapons. All three main artillery towers were located in the bow.

Nelson-class battleships

Due to the restrictions imposed by the Washington Treaty in 1922, the British had to revise their plans to expand the Royal Navy. Virtually all new ship designs have been canceled, but many of the ships under construction have been reworked to fit within the treaty arrangements. Ultimately, Britain could only build two new battleships.

With the discontinuation of many ships, shipyards in Great Britain were filled with unnecessary equipment for new ships. Therefore, the Admiralty decided that the best solution would be to build new ships so as to maximize the use of available components, primarily artillery weapons. The new ships were designated as Nelson-class battleships.

To comply with the Washington Treaty restrictions on the displacement of new battleships, the ships were designed in a very unusual way. The armament in the form of 9 406 mm guns was placed in three turrets (3 × 3), which were placed in the bow – one of the towers in the so-called superposition. The entire superstructure, gym, crew quarters, etc., were moved to the stern. Importantly, all additional artillery weapons consisting of 12 152 mm guns were mounted in double-gun turrets, not in casemates, as in earlier British ships. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by 6 120mm guns and 6 quadruple 40mm AA guns. The battleships also received two 622 mm torpedo tubes.

During the war, several ship modernizations were carried out, which changed the arrangement and quantity of anti-aircraft weapons, especially the 40 mm cannons – eventually the battleships received as many as 64 40 mm cannons in 1944). Additionally, in 1943, 61-64 20mm cannons were added. These changes were dictated by the losses suffered by battleships in clashes with aviation.

Due to the requirement to maintain buoyancy, the armor was reduced and positioned to protect only the most important pieces of equipment: the side belt was 356 mm thick, the deck was 76 to 158 mm, and the turrets were 381 to 406 mm. The inner bulkheads and armor protecting the individual compartments of the ship were 76 to 356 mm thick.

During the design work, little attention was paid to propulsion, which gave the battleships 45,000hp steam turbines, providing a speed of only 23 knots. The range was 30,600 km at a speed of 12 knots.

The Nelson-class battleships were 216.8 meters long and had a displacement of 38,000 tons. The crew consisted of about 1,314 officers and sailors, but during the war, with subsequent modernization of the armament, it increased to 1,640 people. The construction of both ships began in parallel in two shipyards in 1922. The cost of building one ship was approximately £ 7.62 million.

Name	Shipyard	Order	Laying down the keel	Launching	Entry into service
HMS Nelson	Sir WG Armstrong Whitworth & Company, Walker	December 11, 1922	December 28, 1922	September 3, 1925	August 15, 1927
HMS Rodney	Cammell Laird & Company, Birkenhead	December 11, 1922	December 28, 1922	December 17, 1925	December 7, 1927

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HMS Nelson

The first ship to be completed was HMS Nelson. The unit’s service in the period preceding the outbreak of World War II was quiet. During this period, the ship was assigned to the Home Fleet stationed in Great Britain. In September 1939, the battleship was sent to the Shetland region, and in October the unit took part in the unsuccessful hunt for the German battleship Gneisenau. Later, the ship took part in the also unsuccessful hunting of the battleship Scharnhorst.

In December 1939, Nelson stepped on a mine and had to return to the shipyard for repairs, which lasted until August 1940. After returning to service, the ship was directed to the English Channel, and from April to June 1941, the battleship took part in escort operations in the Atlantic. At that time, the battleship took part in the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck, which had previously sunk HMS Hood.

After it sank, Nelson entered the Mediterranean Sea, where on September 26, 1941, he was hit by a torpedo dropped from an Italian bomber. The damage was so severe that the battleship had to be returned to Great Britain for another renovation, which lasted until May 1942. After returning to service, the battleship returned to the Mediterranean Sea, where she escorted convoys bound for Malta.

During Operation Torch in November 1942, Nelson supported the troops landing in Algeria. In July 1943 he again took part in a landing support operation, this time in Sicily, and in September in the Palermo area. In November, Nelson returned to Great Britain, where he was modernized.

Another operation in which the ship took part was supporting the Normandy landings in June 1944. During the shelling of the shore, on June 18, the ship went on two mines, which forced her to return to the shipyard for repairs. Due to the lack of processing capacity in British shipyards, the ship was sent to a naval shipyard in Philadelphia, USA. The ship returned to Europe only in January 1945, after which she was immediately directed to the Indian Ocean. In July 1945, Nelson took part in Operation Livery.

After the end of hostilities in Asia, the battleship returned to Great Britain. Due to its age and wear, it was reclassified as a training ship in July 1946. However, it was used in this role only until February 1948, when it was withdrawn from service and turned into a target ship for bombers. After several months of service in this role, the battered battleship was sold for scrap. Demolition began on March 15, 1949 in Inverkeithing, Scotland.

HMS Rodney

Nelson’s sister ship was HMS Rodney. Upon entering service, the ship operated similarly to Nelson’s Home Fleet based in Great Britain. From November 1939 until March 1941, the battleship took part in escort operations and hunting of the German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst.

In May 1941, Rodney was ordered to escort the cruise liner MV Britannic to Canada. After its completion, the ship was to undergo renovation in one of the local shipyards. On May 24, however, the crew was ordered to stop the mission and take part in the hunt for Bismarck. The battleship was among the group of ships that made contact with the German unit and fired several torpedoes at it, one of which hit Bismarck. Thus, Rodney became the first and only battleship in history to torpedo another battleship.

After the operation was over, the battleship took fuel and supplies from Gourock and headed for Boston, USA, for overhaul and modernization. In September 1941, Rodney returned to Europe and was assigned to the Force H operating in the Mediterranean Sea. In November, however, the battleship was delegated to Great Britain, and then to Iceland, and then for another renovation, which lasted until May 1942.

Then the battleship returned to the Mediterranean Sea, where it took part in escort operations and supported landing troops as part of Operation Torch, and later during the landing in Sicily and at Salerno. From October 1943, Rodney was active in the Home Fleet and in June 1944 he supported the Normandy landings.

After securing the French coast, the battleship returned to escort service, but this time it supported convoys sailing to Murmansk. In December 1944, due to significant wear of the engines, the battleship returned to Scapa Flow. During her military career, the ship sailed about 289,000 km without any overhauls or engine repairs. Initially, its renovation was planned, but ultimately it was deemed unprofitable. So in 1946 it was withdrawn from service and then sold for scrap. Demolition of the battleship began on March 26, 1948.

Unique

The Nelson-class battleships were very original ships. The atypical armament arrangement, imposed by the Washington Treaty, was their most distinctive element. The military careers of both ships were intense, but with the exception of Rodney’s torpedoing Bismarck, there were no exceptional events.

After the war, the battleships built in 1925 were completely useless, so they quickly fell victim to the post-war pogrom of battleships in Great Britain and ended up being scrapped.

As a curiosity, it is worth adding that this ship is also available in World of Warships – you can use this link to create a new account or return to the game and get additional bonuses.