Editing Courageous-class battlecruiser (section)

{{short description|Ship class built for the Royal Navy during the First World War}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
{| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = HMS Courageous WWI.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Courageous'' as a battlecruiser during the First World War
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
| Name = ''Courageous'' class
| Builders =
*[[Armstrong Whitworth]] (2)
*[[Harland & Wolff]] (1)
| Operators = {{navy|United Kingdom}}
| Class before = {{sclass|Renown|battlecruiser|4}}
| Class after = {{sclass2|Admiral|battlecruiser|4}}
| Subclasses = {{HMS|Furious|47|6}}
| Cost = £2,038,225 (''Courageous'')
| Built range = 1915–1917
| In service range = 1916–1944
| In commission range = 1916–1944
| Total ships planned = 3
| Total ships completed = 3
| Total ships lost = 2
| Total ships scrapped = 1
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption = (''Courageous'')
| Ship type = Large [[light cruiser]]/battlecruiser
| Ship displacement =* {{convert|19180|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
* {{convert|22560|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} ([[deep load]])
| Ship length = {{convert|786|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|81|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|25|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship power = *{{convert|90000|shp|0|abbr=on}}
* 18 small-tube [[water-tube boiler|boilers]]
| Ship propulsion =4 shafts; 4 geared [[steam turbine]]s
| Ship speed = {{convert|32|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship complement = 842 officers and men
| Ship armament =* 2 × twin [[BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun|{{convert|15|inch|0|adj=on}} guns]]
* 6 × triple [[BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun|{{convert|4|inch|0|adj=on}} guns]]
* 2 × single [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt|{{convert|3|inch|0|adj=on}} anti-aircraft guns]]
* 2 × single [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} torpedo]] [[Torpedo tube|tubes]]
| Ship armour =* [[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|2|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Decks]]: {{convert|.75|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|3|-|7|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|7|-|9|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Conning tower]]: {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Torpedo bulkhead]]s: {{convert|1|-|1.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Courageous'' class''' consisted of three [[battlecruiser]]s known as "large light cruisers" built for the [[Royal Navy during the First World War]]. The class was nominally designed to support the [[Baltic Project]], a plan by [[Admiral of the Fleet]] [[John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher|Lord Fisher]] that was intended to land troops on the German Baltic Coast. Ships of this [[ship class|class]] were fast but very lightly armoured, with only a few heavy guns. They were given a shallow [[draft (nautical)|draught]], in part to allow them to operate in the shallow waters of the Baltic but also reflecting experience gained earlier in the war. To maximize their speed, the ''Courageous''-class battlecruisers were the first [[capital ship]]s of the Royal Navy to use geared [[steam turbine]]s and [[water-tube boiler|small-tube boilers]].

The first two ships, {{HMS|Courageous|50|2}} and {{HMS|Glorious||2}}, were commissioned in 1917 and spent the war patrolling the North Sea. They participated in the [[Second Battle of Heligoland Bight]] in November 1917 and were present when the [[High Seas Fleet]] surrendered a year later. Their [[sister ship|half-sister]] {{HMS|Furious|47|2}} was designed with a pair of {{convert|18|in|0|adj=on}} guns, the largest guns ever fitted on a ship of the Royal Navy, but was modified during construction to take a flying-off deck and [[hangar]] in lieu of her forward [[gun turret|turret]] and [[barbette]]. After some patrols in the North Sea, her rear turret was removed and another flight deck added. Her aircraft attacked the [[Zeppelin]] sheds during the [[Tondern raid]] in July 1918.

All three ships were [[Reserve Fleet (United Kingdom)|laid up]] after the war, but were rebuilt into the [[Courageous-class aircraft carrier]]s during the 1920s. ''Glorious'' and ''Courageous'' were sunk early in the [[World War II|Second World War]] and ''Furious'' was sold for [[scrap]] in 1948.