HMS King George V

1911K ING GEORGE V Constructed during a frenetic period of capital shipbuilding, King George V was one of a class of four battleships laid down for the Royal Navy in 1911.

PANIC BUYING

In 1908 panic broke out in the Royal Navy on the suspicion that Germany was laying down dreadnoughts modern, single-calibre battleships in secret. The result was a six-year programme under which a total of 28 battleships and seven battlecruisers were to have been built. In the event, four of the battleships were cancelled, although four others, in course of construction in the UK for foreign navies, were taken up by the Royal Navy. King George V was the seventh of the 28 battleships and the leader of her class of four ships. She was laid down at Portsmouth Dockyard on 16 January 1911, launched nine months later on 9 October and completed in November 1912. King George V was fired by both coal and oil, the latter being injected into the furnaces when an increase in speed was ordered, and the ships four Parsons turbines produced over 28,000shp, which gave her a top speed of over 22 knots (41km/h). King George V was Vice-Admiral Sir Martyn Jerrams flagship at the Baffle of Jutland, but played no active part in the fighting. She was paid off after the Washington Conference of 1922 and sold for breaking up in December 1926.

ACCURATE TO 13 MILES
King George V was armed with ten improved 13.5in (343mm) main guns in five turrets two forward, two aft and one amidships together with sixteen X 4in (102mm) guns, four X 3pdrs and three X 2lin (533mm) torpedo tubes. She later received four X 3m (76mm) anti-air craft guns, two of which were soon removed because it was impossible to operate them due to the water shipped aboard at speed.

TECHNICAL DATA
Type: Battleship Machinery: 4-shaft Parsons turbines giving a total of 28,000shp Dimensions (overall): Length, 182.lm (597.51t); beam, 27.1 m (89ft) Displacement: 23,000t normal, 25,700t deep load
Draught: 8.7m (28.7ft) normal Complement: 782