HMS Hood.

[Orm]

I do not understand the design of HMS Hood. She was a vey large ship but, as I understand it, not more heavily armed, nor armoured, than other comparable ships. Is her large size just the result of wanting to make her fast?

[warspite1]

The Hood, like many warships, went through a number of designs. At one point she was envisaged as an improved Queen Elizabeth-class. Yeah right, like perfection can be improved upon?? [;)]

Jellicoe however did not feel the need for more battleships. He wanted the German battlecruisers, then thought to be in the pipeline, countered. This meant the provision of very fast ships AND with adequate protection AND with no less than 8 15-inch guns (note the Repulses and the Gloriouses fell short of at least two of these requirements).

With the technology available at the time, that combination resulted in the impressively large HMS Hood. As it turned out, the war won, her three sisters were cancelled and I believe Hood was only completed as a floating (and very expensive) test bed.

[Poopyhead]

Navies have many important combat missions. At the time, convoys were escorted by destroyers (DD) and some cruisers (light CL or heavy CA). Battleships (BB) were still expected to be "ships of the line" that would max out firepower and protection at the cost of speed. Battlecruisers (BC), as the name implies, were a hybrid design idea between battleships and cruisers. Armed with the guns of a battleship, but with less armor for greater speed, these vessels could scout for the slower BBs. They might also be convoy raiders, outgunning the escorts, or hunting down convoy surface raiders. HMS Hood was actually larger in weight than her final mission partner, the battleship HMS Prince of Wales. So, the German battleship Bismark and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, a BB and a CA, were seemingly overmatched by a British BB and BC. However, Hood's thinner deck armor proved her Achilles heel. A lucky shot doomed her and all but three of her crew.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: Poopyhead

However, Hood's thinner deck armor proved her Achilles heel. A lucky shot doomed her and all but three of her crew.

There was also the fact that the Hood and PoW were trying to close the distance to the Bismarck (because of that deck armor thing) and so had only half their guns employed. Also, the PoW had never gone through sea trials and had lots of mechanical issues - at one point in the battle had only one operational gun. PoW was lucky not to get sunk too.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

The Hood, like many warships, went through a number of designs. At one point she was envisaged as an improved Queen Elizabeth-class. Yeah right, like perfection can be improved upon?? [;)]

Jellicoe however did not feel the need for more battleships. He wanted the German battlecruisers, then thought to be in the pipeline, countered. This meant the provision of very fast ships AND with adequate protection AND with no less than 8 15-inch guns (note the Repulses and the Gloriouses fell short of at least two of these requirements).

With the technology available at the time, that combination resulted in the impressively large HMS Hood. As it turned out, the war won, her three sisters were cancelled and I believe Hood was only completed as a floating (and very expensive) test bed.

Thank you.

Do you know why they didn't go with fewer 15-inch guns? Two or three towers with 6 15-inch guns doesn't seem bad to me? It just feels weird to me to make a fast ship that huge and heavy.

[Orm]

Can we please avoid discussing HMS Hood vs Bismarck this time? Thank you. [:)]

I am trying to understand the concept behind a huge Battlecruiser. And understand why she became so popular.

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

The Hood, like many warships, went through a number of designs. At one point she was envisaged as an improved Queen Elizabeth-class. Yeah right, like perfection can be improved upon?? [;)]

Jellicoe however did not feel the need for more battleships. He wanted the German battlecruisers, then thought to be in the pipeline, countered. This meant the provision of very fast ships AND with adequate protection AND with no less than 8 15-inch guns (note the Repulses and the Gloriouses fell short of at least two of these requirements).

With the technology available at the time, that combination resulted in the impressively large HMS Hood. As it turned out, the war won, her three sisters were cancelled and I believe Hood was only completed as a floating (and very expensive) test bed.

Thank you.

Do you know why they didn't go with fewer 15-inch guns? Two or three towers with 6 15-inch guns doesn't seem bad to me? It just feels weird to me to make a fast ship that huge and heavy.

warspite1

The obvious reason, as old as time itself [:)]

The German Ersatz Yorck-class had guess what? Yep, 8 15-inchers, or would have done had they been built. So it was a case of keeping up - or bettering in this case as the Admiral-class were faster - with the enemy.

[Jagdtiger14]

Here is an interesting read:

http://chuckhawks.com/battlecruisers.htm

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

The Hood, like many warships, went through a number of designs. At one point she was envisaged as an improved Queen Elizabeth-class. Yeah right, like perfection can be improved upon?? [;)]

Jellicoe however did not feel the need for more battleships. He wanted the German battlecruisers, then thought to be in the pipeline, countered. This meant the provision of very fast ships AND with adequate protection AND with no less than 8 15-inch guns (note the Repulses and the Gloriouses fell short of at least two of these requirements).

With the technology available at the time, that combination resulted in the impressively large HMS Hood. As it turned out, the war won, her three sisters were cancelled and I believe Hood was only completed as a floating (and very expensive) test bed.

Thank you.

Do you know why they didn't go with fewer 15-inch guns? Two or three towers with 6 15-inch guns doesn't seem bad to me? It just feels weird to me to make a fast ship that huge and heavy.

warspite1

The obvious reason, as old as time itself [:)]

The German Ersatz Yorck-class had guess what? Yep, 8 15-inchers, or would have done had they been built. So it was a case of keeping up - or bettering as the Admiral-class were faster - than the enemy.

So if the Germans would have made a plan for a BC with 12 16-inchers... [;)]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Orm


Thank you.

Do you know why they didn't go with fewer 15-inch guns? Two or three towers with 6 15-inch guns doesn't seem bad to me? It just feels weird to me to make a fast ship that huge and heavy.

warspite1

The obvious reason, as old as time itself [:)]

The German Ersatz Yorck-class had guess what? Yep, 8 15-inchers, or would have done had they been built. So it was a case of keeping up - or bettering as the Admiral-class were faster - than the enemy.

So if the Germans would have made a plan for a BC with 12 16-inchers... [;)]

warspite1

Exactly. Look at battleship development of the British, US, Japanese and Germans. Each rise in speed, in gun size, in weaponry by one was met by the opposition. Same as it ever was [:)]

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Orm

....And understand why she became so popular.

warspite1

As far as her popularity goes I think there are a number of reasons, none of which would matter much if it wasn't for the special place that the Royal Navy used to have in the nation's psyche.

The ships of the Royal Navy appeared on cigarette cards, the wonderful names of these mighty ships were known to every schoolboy in the land. The Royal Navy was something to be proud of, the Royal Navy was news.

Against this background here was a warship that was as beautiful as she was powerful. The largest warship afloat in the largest navy with lines as slender and beautiful as anything Hollywood had to offer - she was our own film star.

As such she was used extensively to show the flag between the wars, ever increasing her already high profile. She was so important in that role that she had no time for large scale refits and upgrades - and sadly that was to seal her fate when she came up against one of the newest battleships in the world on 24th May 1941.....

[Capt. Harlock]

It just feels weird to me to make a fast ship that huge and heavy.

Surprisingly enough, more size can help with speed. If you want to make a ship fast, you make her narrow, and also long. Then, of course, you use that length to put in powerful engines, which raises the weight. HMS Hood was a fairly good design for the technology of her time, considering the switch from coal-fired boilers to oil-fired ones was still a recent development at that point.

[Jagdtiger14]

with lines as slender and beautiful as anything Hollywood had to offer - she was our own film star.

Well, Hollywood did have the brand new North Carolina! One of the most beautiful ships until the Iowa class came along. Awesome 9x16" guns.

[warspite1]

How HMS Hood may have looked had her planned refit happened....

...still beautiful...