Battlecruisers

This second volume in the "ShipShape" series covers the development of one of the largest, fastest and most charismatic warship types. Combining the armament of a battleship with the speed of a cruiser in some of the largest hulls then built, these ships were the cutting edge of early 20th-century naval technology. The brainchild of Admiral Fisher, the concept of this class began as large, fast armoured cruisers for trade protection, but the last-minute decision to equip them with 12-inch guns led them to be seen as a high-speed element of the battle fleet. The British battlecruisers fought in numerous battles in World War I, such as the battles of the Falklands, Heligoland Bight and Dogger Bank. But it is for the battle of Jutland in 1916, when three battlecruisers exploded and sank in one day, that these ships are best remembered. This book traces the development and service history of these warships and compares them with their German counterparts. It is illustrated with contemporary photographs and a large scale plan of HMS Queen Mary.