HMS Queen Elizabeth
| Type | Battleship |
|---|---|
| Class | Queen Elizabeth |
| Wars | First World War, Second World War |
| Main guns | 4 × twin 15 in (381 mm) guns |
Refits
| 1937–1941 | Rebuilt: new engines and boilers, a tower bridge, thicker deck armour, twenty 4.5-inch dual-purpose guns, and more elevation for her 15-inch guns. |
The first oil-fired 15-inch-gun battleship, sent to the Dardanelles straight from her trials. Bombarded the forts on 18 March 1915. Missed Jutland while refitting. Rebuilt between the wars, she was Cunningham's flagship when Italian human torpedoes sank her at her moorings in Alexandria in December 1941. Repaired in the United States, she ended the war in the Indian Ocean.
Armament and specifications
Armament
- 4 × twin 15 in (381 mm) guns
- 16 × single 6 in (152 mm) guns
- 2 × single 3 in (76 mm) AA guns
- 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour
- Waterline belt: 13 in (330 mm)
- Deck: 1–3 in (25–76 mm)
- Barbettes: 7–10 in (178–254 mm)
- Gun turrets: 11–13 in (279–330 mm)
- Conning tower: 13 in (330 mm)
| Builder | HM Dockyard, Portsmouth |
|---|---|
| Laid down | 21 October 1912 |
| Launched | 16 October 1913 |
| Commissioned | 22 December 1914 |
| Displacement | 32,590 long tons (33,113 t) 33,260 long tons (33,790 t) (Deep load) |
| Length | 639 ft 9 in (195 m) |
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
| Complement | 1,262 (1920, as a flagship) |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched
16 October 1913
18 March 1915 · First World War
25 November 1941 · Second World War
Cunningham's flagship
19 December 1941 · Second World War
Cunningham's flagship; settled on the bottom
Fate
Scrapped, 1948