Design and Appearance
The design was based closely on the design of King George V, but with a number of modifications. British battleships of the period were required by the Admiralty to be of a size that could be accommodated by existing docks, which imposed absolute limitations on beam and on draught. Erin was built with a greater beam and a shorter length than King George V, the greater stability so produced allowing for the installation of a heavier secondary battery and the positioning of "Q" turret one deck higher. She had only a single mast, the foremast, which supported the fighting top and was situated ahead of the forefunnel. The legs of the tripod foremast spread forward rather than the more usual aft orientation; This was to allow the ship's boats to be worked by booms from this mast, in the absence of a mainmast. As a further result of this mast arrangement the charthouse could not be built as part of the conning tower, but was built as a separate structure around the base of the mast.
She was built with a plough bow, a design which cut more cleanly through the water, leading to less water coming on board the forecastle in a heavy sea.
The two funnels were closer together than in any previous British dreadnought, and the appearance of the secondary battery was distinctive, extending as it did from "B" turret to "X" turret.
Read more about this topic: HMS Erin (1913)
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