1905-1914 - The Dreadnought Race

Map
The Austro-Hungarian Fleet


The British completion of the HMS Dreadnought on 1-Oct-1906, brought very unexpected results. HMS Dreadnought represented a true terror weapon of the day whose speed, armament, and firepower obsoleted every other battleship then in existence. Rather than give Britain's large navy an even bigger advantage over Germany's small coastal fleet, it put them on an almost equal footing overnight, really only one battleship ahead. This launched the great arms race for the building of the dreadnought class ships.

While the defeat of the German navy would never, in itself, ensure the absolute defeat of Germany, the defeat of the British navy would spell the end of the island-based power and its empire. The British were acutely aware of this fact. Relations between the two countries would reach a new low as the result of this race and it would almost assure Britain's joining the Franco-Russian side in the event of conflict.

The table below is taken from Robert Massie's Dreadnought (Ballantine, 1991). It details the race. While not a sales pitch, this book is "must" reading for anyone interested in the underlying causes of the First World War.


British dreadnoughtsBritish battle cruisersGerman dreadnoughtsGerman battle cruisers


BRITISH DREADNOUGHTS
Name of Ship and ClassProgram yearCompletion dateDisplacement tonsSpeed knotsMain armament
Dreadnought1905-612-0617,90020.910 12-in.
BELLEROPHON CLASS
Bellerophon1906-7 2-0918,60020.7510 12-in.
Superb1906-7 5-0918,60020.75
Temeraire1906-7 5-0918,60020.75
ST. VINCENT CLASS
St. Vincent1907-8 5-0919,2502110 12-in.
Vanguard1907-8 2-1019,25021
Collingwood1907-8 4-1019,25021
Neptune1908-9 1-1119,90021
COLOSSUS CLASS
Colossus1909-10 7-1120,0002110 12-in.
Hercules1909-10 8-1120,00021
ORION CLASS
Orion1909-10 1-1222,5002110 13.5-in.
Conqueror1909-1011-1222,50021
Monarch1909-10 3-1222,50021
Thunderer1909-10 6-1222,50021
KING GEORGE CLASS
King George V1910-1111-1223,0002110 13.5-in.
Ajax1910-11 3-1323,00021
Centurion1910-11 5-1323,00021
Audacious1910-1110-1323,00021
IRON DUKE CLASS
Benbow1911-1211-1425,0002110 13.5-in.,
12 6-in.
Emperor of India1911-1211-1425,00021
Iron Duke1911-12 3-1425,00021
Marlborough1911-12 6-1425,00021
QUEEN ELIZABETH CLASS
Queen Elizabeth1912-13 1-1527,500258 15-in.,
16 6-in.
Warspite1912-13 3-1527,500258 15-in.,
14 6-in.
Barham1912-1310-1527,50025
Valiant1912-13 2-1627,50025
Malaya1912-13 2-1627,50025
ROYAL SOVEREIGN CLASS
Royal Sovereign1913-14 5-1627,750218 15-in.,
14 6-in.
Royal Oak1913-14 5-1627,75021
Revenge1913-14 3-1627,75021
Resolution1913-1412-1627,75021
Ramillies1913-14 9-1727,75021
BRITISH BATTLE CRUISERS
INVINCIBLE CLASS
Invincible1905-6 3-0917,25025.58 12-in.
Inflexible1905-610-0817,25025.5
Indomitable1905-6 6-0817,25025.5
INDEFATIGABLE CLASS
Indefatigable1908-9 4-1118,75025.88 12-in.
New Zealand1909-1011-1218,80025.8
Australia1909-10 6-1318,80025.8
LION CLASS
Lion1909-10 5-1226,350278 13.5-in.
Princess Royal1909-1011-1226,35027
Queen Mary1910-11 8-1327,00028
Tiger1911-1210-1428,500288 13.5-in.,
12 6-in.
GERMAN DREADNOUGHTS
Name of Ship and ClassProgram yearCompletion dateDisplacement tonsSpeed knotsMain armament
NASSAU CLASS
Nassau1906-710-0918,8731912 11-in.,
12 5.9-in.
Westfalen1906-711-0918,87319
Rheinland1907-8 4-1018,87319
Posen1907-8 5-1018,87319
HELGOLAND CLASS
Helgoland1908-9 8-1122,80820.512 12-in.,
14 5.9-in.
Ostfriesland1908-9 8-1122,80820.5
Thuringen1908-9 7-1122,80820.5
Oldenburg1909-10 5-1222,80820.5
KAISER CLASS
Kaiser1909-10 8-1224,7242110 12-in.,
14 5.9-in.
Friedrich der Grosse1909-1010-1224,72421
Kaiserin1910-11 5-1324,72421
Prinzregent Luitpold1910-11 8-1324,72421
Konig Albert1910-11 7-1324,72421
KONIG CLASS
Konig1911-12 8-1425,7962110 12-in.,
14 5.9-in.
Grosser Kurfurst1911-12 8-1425,79621
Markgraf1911-1210-1425,79621
Kronprinz Wilhelm1912-1311-1425,79621
BAYERN CLASS
Baden1913-1410-1628,600228 15-in.,
16 5.9-in.
Bayern1913-14 3-1628,60022
Sachsen1914-15 *28,80022
Wurttemberg1914-15 +28,80022
* Launched 21 November 1916, but never completed.
+ Launched 20 June 1917, but never completed.
GERMAN BATTLE CRUISERS
Blucher1906-710-0915,84224.812 8.2-in.,
8 5.9-in.
Von der Tann1907-8 9-1019,37024.88 11-in.,
10 5.9-in.
Moltke1908-9 9-1122,97925.510 11-in.,
12 5.9-in.
Goeben1909-10 7-1222,97925.5
Seydlitz1910-11 5-1324,98827
Lutzow1911-12 8-1526,74126.48 12-in.,
14 5.9-in.
Derfflinger1911-12 9-1426,60025.88 12-in.,
12 5.9-in.
Hindenburg1913-1410-1726,94727.58 12-in.,
14 5.9-in.