Editing Renown-class battlecruiser (section)

==Description==

===General characteristics===
The ''Renown''-class ships had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|794|ft|1.5|in|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|90|ft|1.75|in|m|1}}, and a draught of {{convert|30|ft|2|in|m|1}} at [[deep load]]. They displaced {{convert|27320|LT|t}} at [[Standard displacement#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|32220|LT|MT}} at deep load. While {{convert|90|ft|m|1}} longer than their predecessor, {{HMS|Tiger|1913|2}}, they displaced {{convert|2780|LT|MT}} less than the older ship at deep load.<ref>Burt 1986, pp. 212, 297.</ref>

The ships proved to be good sea boats, but had to be reinforced while under construction with additional stiffening and pillars under the forecastle deck to cure some minor structural problems forward.<ref>Roberts, pp. 49–50.</ref> They had a [[metacentric height]] of {{convert|6.2|ft|1}} at deep load as built as well as a complete [[double bottom]].<ref name="Burt 1986, pp. 297–98">Burt 1986, pp. 297–298.</ref>

===Propulsion===
The original plan for these ships was to use lightweight machinery producing a total of {{convert|110000|shp}}, but that would have required a considerable amount of time to complete its design. Rather than risk delaying the completion of the ships the machinery from HMS ''Tiger'' was duplicated with the addition of three extra boilers to provide the required power needed for the additional speed. Each ship had two paired sets of Brown-Curtis direct-drive [[steam turbine]]s, housed in separate engine-rooms. Each set comprised high-pressure ahead and astern turbines driving an outboard shaft and low-pressure ahead and astern turbines, housed in the same casing, driving an inner shaft.<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 49.</ref> Their three-bladed [[propeller]]s were {{convert|13|ft|6|in|m}} in diameter.<ref>Roberts, p. 76.</ref> The turbines were powered by 42 [[Babcock & Wilcox]] [[water-tube boiler]]s in six boiler rooms at a working pressure of {{convert|235|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}.<ref>Raven and Roberts, pp. 49–50.</ref> They were designed to produce a total of {{convert|112000|shp}}, but achieved more than {{convert|126000|shp|abbr=on|0}} during ''Renown''{{'}}s trials, when she reached a speed of {{convert|32.58|knots}}.<ref>Roberts, p. 81.</ref> They were the fastest capital ships in existence until the arrival of {{HMS|Hood|51|2}} in 1920.<ref>Burt 1986, p. 294.</ref>

They were designed to normally carry {{convert|1000|LT|t|0}} of [[fuel oil]], but had a maximum capacity of {{convert|4289|LT|t}}. At full capacity, the ''Renown''-class ships could steam at a speed of {{convert|18|knots}} for {{convert|4000|nmi|-1}}.<ref name=b97>Burt 1986, p. 297.</ref> The ships had two reciprocating steam-driven {{convert|200|kW|adj=on}} [[dynamo]]s, one oil-driven {{convert|150|kW|adj=on}} dynamo, and one turbine-driven {{convert|200|kW|adj=on}} dynamo that supplied the common [[ring main]] at 220 [[volt]]s.<ref>Raven and Roberts, p. 50.</ref>

===Armament===
[[File:HMS Repulse aerial starboard view 1918 labelled guns.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial view of ''Repulse'' in 1918.{{ordered list
| list_style=margin-left:0;
| item_style=list-style-position:inside;
| twin 15-inch turrets
| triple 4-inch mountings
| starboard single 4-inch mounting
| starboard single 3-inch AA mounting
}}]]
The ''Renown''-class ships mounted six 42-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun|BL 15-inch Mk I guns]] in three twin hydraulically powered gun turrets, designated "A", "B", and "Y" from front to rear.<ref name=b97/> The guns could be depressed to −3° and elevated to 20°; they could be loaded at any angle up to 20°, although loading at high angles tended to slow the gun's return to battery (firing position). The ships carried 120 shells per gun. They fired {{convert|1910|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} projectiles at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2575|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}; this provided a maximum range of {{convert|23734|yd|abbr=on|0}} with [[Armor-piercing shot and shell|armour-piercing]] shells.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_15-42_mk1.htm|title=British 15"/42 (38.1 cm) Mark I |date=1 April 2010|access-date=4 May 2010|publisher=navweaps.com}}</ref>

The ships were designed with seventeen 45-calibre [[BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun|BL 4-inch Mark IX guns]], fitted in five triple and two single mounts. These were manually powered and quite cumbersome in use as they required a crew of thirty-two men to load and train the triple gun mounts. The gun's rate of fire was only 10 to 12 rounds per minute as the loaders kept getting in each other's way. They had a maximum depression of −10° and a maximum elevation of 30°. They fired a {{convert|31|lb|kg|adj=on}} [[British ordnance terms#HE|high-explosive]] shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2625|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}. At maximum elevation the guns had a maximum range of {{convert|13500|yd|m|0}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_4-45_mk9.htm|title=Britain 4"/45 (10.2 cm) BL Marks IX and X|date=25 January 2010 |access-date=7 May 2010|publisher=navweaps.com}}</ref> The ships carried 200 rounds for each gun.<ref name=b97/>

Each ship mounted a pair of [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt]]<ref group=Note>"cwt" is the abbreviation for [[hundredweight]], 30 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.</ref> [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] guns on single high-angle mountings. These were mounted on the shelter deck abreast the rear funnel.<ref name=rr48>Raven and Roberts, p. 48.</ref> The gun had a maximum depression of 10° and a maximum elevation of 90°. It fired a {{convert|12.5|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2500|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} at a rate of fire of 12–14 rounds per minute. They had a maximum effective ceiling of {{convert|23500|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_3-45_mk1.htm|title=British 12-pdr 3"/45 (76.2 cm) 20 cwt QF HA Marks I, II, III and IV |date=27 February 2007|access-date=11 November 2009|publisher=navweaps.com}}</ref> Both ships carried ten [[torpedo]]es and mounted two [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}}]] submerged [[torpedo tube]]s fitted just forward of "A" [[barbette]].<ref>Roberts, p. 83.</ref>
{{clear left}}

===Fire control===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-08390, Englisches Schlachtschiff H.M.S. "Repulse".jpg|right|thumb|''Repulse'' firing in 1929]]
The main guns of the ''Renown''-class ships could be controlled from either of the two [[Fire-control system#Naval fire control|fire-control director]]s. The primary director was mounted above the [[conning tower]] in an armoured hood and the other was in the [[Top (sailing ship)|fore-top]] on the foremast.<ref name=rr48/> Data from a [[Rangefinding telemeter|rangefinder]] in the armoured hood was input into a Mk IV* [[Frederic Charles Dreyer#Dreyer Fire Control Table|Dreyer Fire Control Table]] located in the Transmitting Station (TS) where it was converted into range and deflection data for use by the guns. The target's data was also graphically recorded on a plotting table to assist the gunnery officer in predicting the movement of the target.<ref>Brooks, p. 170.</ref> The secondary armament was controlled by directors mounted on platforms on each mast. Each turret was provided with a {{convert|15|ft|m|1|adj=on}} rangefinder in an armoured housing on the turret roof.<ref name=rr48/>

During the war the number and size of rangefinders increased. By 1918 ''Renown'' carried two {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on|1}} rangefinders, one on "Y" turret and the other in the armoured hood above the conning tower. Fifteen-foot rangefinders were mounted on "A" and "B" turrets, the torpedo control tower abaft the mainmast, and the armoured hood. The fore-top was equipped with a {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=on|1}} rangefinder and the anti-aircraft guns were controlled by a simple {{convert|6|ft|6|in|adj=on}} rangefinder mounted on the aft superstructure. Two {{convert|9|ft|m|adj=on|1}} rangefinders were mounted on the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]].<ref name=b97/>

===Armour===
The armour protection of the ''Renown''-class ships was similar to that of ''Indefatigable''; her [[waterline]] [[Belt armor|belt]] of [[Krupp cemented armour]] measured {{convert|6|in|mm|0}} thick amidships. It ran from the midpoint of "A" barbette to the midpoint of "Y" barbette, a length of {{convert|462|ft|m|1}}, and was {{convert|9|ft|m|1}} high. [[Strake]]s of three-inch armour aft and four-inch armour forward continued the belt towards the ends of the ship, although neither reached the bow or the stern. The strakes were enclosed by transverse bulkheads of the same thickness. For much of the length of the main belt there was an upper belt of high-tensile steel, {{convert|1.5|in}} thick, intended as splinter protection.<ref name=r13>Roberts, pp. 106, 113.</ref>

The gun turrets were {{convert|9|in|mm|0}} thick on the face and front sides, {{convert|7|in|mm|0}} thick on the rear side plates while their roofs were {{convert|4.25|in|mm|0}} thick. The barbettes were protected by {{convert|7|in|mm|0}} of armour above the upper deck, but it thinned to {{convert|4|-|5|in|mm|0}} below the deck. The conning tower sides were {{convert|10|in|0}} thick and it had a three-inch roof. The walls of the [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#communication tube|communication tube]] were three&nbsp;inches thick. The torpedo control tower had 3-inch walls and a 1.5-inch cast steel roof.<ref name=r13/>

As designed the high-tensile-steel [[deck (ship)|deck]]s ranged from {{convert|0.75|to|1.5|in|0}} in thickness. After the [[Battle of Jutland]] in 1916, while the ships were still completing, an extra inch of high-tensile steel was added on the main deck over the [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s. Despite these additions, the ships were still felt to be too vulnerable to plunging fire and each ship was refitted in Rosyth in 1916–1917 with additional horizontal armour, weighing approximately {{convert|504|LT|t}}, added to the decks over the magazines and over the steering mechanism.<ref>Burt, p. 294.</ref>

The ''Renown''-class ships were fitted with a shallow [[anti-torpedo bulge]] integral to the hull which was intended to explode the torpedo before it hit the hull proper and vent the underwater explosion to the surface rather than into the ship. However, later testing proved that it was not deep enough to accomplish its task as it lacked the layers of empty and full compartments that were necessary to absorb the force of the explosion.<ref>Roberts, p. 111.</ref>