Speed was not sacrificed to weight, for they were given a speed
of 18.5 knots, developed by engines of 18,000 horsepower. Their
thinnest armor measured 6 inches, and their heavy guns were protected
with plates 12 inches thick. The 12-inch gun was still the heaviest
piece of armament in the British navy, and these eight ships each
carried four of that measurement, as well as four 9.2-inch guns,
ten 6-inch guns, fourteen rapid-fire guns of 3 inches, two machine
guns, and four torpedo tubes.
Now that it was seen that ships of enormous displacement could also
be swift, England committed herself to the building of ships of even
greater size. In 1907 came the first of the modern dreadnoughts,
so-called from the name which was given to the original ship of
17,900 tons displacement. The _Dreadnought_ made the marvelous
speed (for a ship of that size) of 21 knots, which she was enabled
to do with turbine engines of 23,000 horsepower. Her armor measured
from 8 to 11 inches in thickness, and her great size enabled her
to carry as high as ten 12-inch guns. Her minor batteries were
strong in proportion.
Then, as if taking her breath after a stupendous effort, England in
the following year built two ships of 16,000 tons displacement, the
_Lord Nelson_ and the _Agamemnon_, with speed, armor, and armament
much lower than those of the _Dreadnought_. But having taken a
rest, Britain was again to make a great effort, launching in 1909
the _Temeraire, Superb_, and _Bellerophon_, monsters displacing
18,600 tons.
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