LAST BRITISH BATTLESHIP: HMS Vanguard 1946-1960

HMS Vanguard was completed during WWII against all the odds of wartime shortages and strategic restrictions, and was used by the royal family for state visits in the fifties. This tribute to a great ship comes with extensive specifications and cross sections as well as fascinating archive photography. The Washington naval treaty of 1921 put a limit on the size and displacement of battleships for the UK, USA, France and Russia, but all the major powers enhanced their battleship programmes in the thirties. Britain initially adhered to the restrictions although the US utilised an escalator clause, and in 1937 Britain laid down five battleships of the George V class with 14" guns and radar. Dual purpose secondary guns intended as anti-aircraft artillery were found to be too heavy. Japan was now using 16" guns and in 1938 as war became inevitable Britain initiated a new class of ship with 9 x 16" guns and a displacement of 40,000 tons. The Lion and Temeraire were laid down but never completed, and the slightly improved Vanguard was the only ship to be laid down and launched by the end of the war because of the constant interruption of all longer-term shipbuilding plans. The innovation of a flat stern was new on a capital ship. When Princess Elizabeth launched HMS Vanguard it was the first use of her personal standard, though details of the event are shrouded in wartime secrecy. There are some superb photos of Vanguard's maiden voyage down the Clyde, together with full specifications on pullout pages with diagrams and cross-sections, not only of the ship itself but also the guns and other machinery. After the war the ship was adapted for the Royal tour to South Africa in 1947, and several fascinating archive photos show the cabins of the King, Queen and young princesses. HMS Vanguard was finally scrapped in 1960, and a series of photos documents the progress of the demolition. 128pp, archive photos, a few in colour, and numerous diagrams and cross-sections and a splendid double gatefold of layout and decks. 25 x 29.5cm.
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