Launched in 1905, HMS Dreadnought's revolutionary design made all other battleships obsolete.  So advanced was Dreadnought that her name became a generic term for modern battleships, whilst the ships she made obsolete became known as "pre-dreadnoughts".   From 1906 the world’s battle fleets were divided into Dreadnoughts and pre-Dreadnoughts. A new Dreadnought race broke out between Britain and Germany, which helped to raise the level of tension in Europe.

Dreadnought was the first battleship of her era to have a uniform main battery, rather than having a few large guns complemented by a heavy secondary battery of somewhat smaller guns.

Perhaps the most innovative part of the Dreadnought's design was the use of Parsons Turbines to provide power. This was a new design that had not been used in any previous battleship. The steam turbines made Dreadnought the fastest battleship in the world at the time of her completion.  She was two and a half knots faster than her rivals, and carried twice the firepower of earlier battleships.

Dreadnought's introduction sparked off a major naval arms race as powerful navies rushed to match her, particularly the German navy in the build up to the First World War.  

On 18 March 1915, Dreadnought became the only battleship to sink a submarine during the First World War. The Grand Fleet was at sea conducting tactical exercises, when U 29 fired a torpedo at the fleet. Dreadnought and Marlborough both sighted the submarine, and a chase began. After ten minutes the Dreadnought rammed the submarine, which sank with the loss of all hands.

 This  scratch-built Dreadnought features all wooden and metal parts.   

     31"L x 16"T x 5"W          $990       S & H is $80      In stock

     21"L x 10"T x 3.5"W       $890       S & H is $60      In stock

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