Published Resources Details Journal Article
- Title
- The Battleship is Dead; Long Live the battleship. HMS Dreadnought and the limits of technological innovation.
- In
- The Mariner’s Mirror
- Imprint
- vol. 93, no. 4, November 2007, pp. 415-427
- Description
Accession No.1965
- Abstract
HMS Dreadnought launched by King Edward VII at Portsmouth Dockyard on 10 February 1906, was a very special ship in every way. At a normal load displacement of 18,122 tons she was the largest ship in the world. She had also taken a remarkably short time to build, having been officially laid down at on 2 October 1905. Work on prefabricating the ship's parts had, however, already begun in May (some 6000 man hours had already been accomplished by the keel-laying at a cost of 41,295 pounds sterling). After much hard work with 1,100 men working twelve-hour days, six days a week the ship was ready for launching just over four months later. Dreadnought was undocked and ready for steam trials on 29 September 1906 and while not completely fitted out, she left Portsmouth under her own steam a day under a year from her official keel laying. She began her preliminary steam trial the following day.