In 1912 and 1913 there was only one type of warship launched having
23,000 tons displacement with 31,000 horsepower, a half a knot
faster than previous dreadnoughts, and carrying, like the previous
class, ten 13.5-inch guns, along with some of smaller caliber. The
ships of this class were the _King George V, Ajax, Audacious_,
and _Centurion_.
The year 1914 saw even more terrible machines of death launched.
Two types were put into the water, the first that of the _Iron
Duke_ class, of which the other members were the _Benbow, Emperor
of India_, and _Marlborough_. They showed great improvement in every
point; their speed was 22.5 knots, their displacement 25,000 tons,
and their torpedo tubes five. Like their immediate predecessors,
they carried a primary battery of ten 13.5-inch guns, along with
the smaller ones, and their armor measured from 8 to 12 inches
in thickness. The second type of the year was that of the _Queen
Elizabeth_ and _Warspite_ class. They surpassed all the warships
when they were built. Their speed for their size was the greatest--25
knots. They had the largest displacement among warships--27,500
tons; they had the thickest armor, ranging from 8 to 13.5 inches;
they had the most improved form of engines--oil burners, developing
58,000 horsepower; and most marvelous of all was their primary
battery, which consisted of eight 15-inch guns. The largest gun
yet made had been the 16-inch gun, for use in permanent position
in land forts, and, with the German army, for a mobile force.
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