HMS Valiant

1914 VALIANT One of the five battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class, constructed
for the Royal Navy on the eve of the First World War.

THE QUEEN ELIZABETH CLASS

Originally, it was planned to build three battleships and a battlecruiser under the 1912 Construction Programme, the former to have been improved Iron Dukes. Concern over other navies plans to equip their new constructions with l4in (356mm) guns prompted a rethink. Plans were changed, and orders were placed for four new battleships of 27,500 ton displacement. A fifth was paid for by the Federated Malay States, and was named Malaya in recognition. A sixth, to have been named Agincourt, was cancelled before she was begun. HMS Valiant was the third of the class, constructed by Fairfield. Laid down on 31 January 1913, she was launched on 4 November 1914 and joined the fleet in February 1916. Her career spanned two world wars, and she was finally retired in 1945.

DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT

The new ships carried eight X 15in (381mm) guns in four turrets (the Iron Duke had ten X 13.5in (343mm) guns in five turrets) but still increased the weight of their broadside (and the accuracy with which it could be placed was dramatically improved too, thanks to new fire control equipment). The space saved was occupied by extra boilers which, together with a switch to oil from coal and oil, gave an increase of three knots on top speed, even though the ships were over-weight at almost 33,000 tons full load displacement. 25 knots would have been achieved had more efficient small tube boilers been fitted. Valiant acquired these during her major re-fit (1937-39), and her performance improved as a result.

TECHNICAL DATA

Type: Battleship
Machinery: 4-shaft Brown Curtis geared turbines delivering 56,000shp
Dimensions (overall): Length, 1 96.8m (645.75ft); beam, 27.6m (90.5ft)
Displacement: 29,100t standard; 33,000t deep load
Draught 9.1 m (30
Complement: 925-950
Speed: 24 knots (44.5km/h)