King George V Class
The King George V class of ships had the 13.5 inch main armament in five twin turrets. The secondary armament was sixteen 4 inch, four 3 pounder guns, and three 21 inch torpedoes. The government of the day resisted calls to upgrade the 4 inch to 6 inch guns in an attempt to reduce naval expenditure. In 1915 two 4 inch anti-aircraft guns were added on the quarterdeck and the four 4 inch guns, two either side of 'A' and 'B' turrets were removed as they became swamped in heavy weather. After commissioning King George V became the flagship of the 2nd Battle Squadron. During trials in December 1912 Centurian was in a collision with an Italian merchant ship which delayed her completion until 1913. Ajax fought at Jutland and then served in the Mediterranean and the Black sea. After the war she served as a radio controlled target ship and in the Second World War sailed to India and served as a static anti-aircraft ship on the Suez canal. She was sunk on 9 June 1944 as a Mulberry harbour block ship off Normandy.
| Ship | Main guns | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | ||||
| King George V ex Royal George |
10 × 13.5 in (34.3 cm) |
23,000 long tons (23,370 t) |
4 × shafts Parsons turbines 18 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers |
16 January 1911 |
1912 |
Sold for scrap December 1926 |
| Centurion | 10 × 13.5 in (34.3 cm) |
23,000 long tons (23,370 t) |
4 × shafts Parsons turbines 18 × Yarrow boilers |
16 January 1911 |
March 1913 |
Sunk in 1944 as a block ship |
| Audacious | 10 × 13.5 in (34.3 cm) |
23,000 long tons (23,370 t) |
4 × shafts Parsons turbines 18 × Yarrow boilers |
February 1911 |
1913 |
Struck a mine, 27 October 1914 |
| Ajax | 10 × 13.5 in (34.3 cm) |
23,000 long tons (23,370 t) |
4 × shafts Parsons turbines 18 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers |
27 February 1911 |
October 1913 |
Sold for scrap 9 November 1926 |
Read more about this topic: List Of Dreadnought Battleships Of The Royal Navy
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