Orion class battleship - Definition

2nd_Battle_Squadron.jpg Ships of the 2nd Battle Squadron Three Orion class battleships (from right to left: Conqueror, Monarch, Thunderer) with King George V
General Characteristics
Displacement:	22,000 tons standard/25,870 tons max
Length:	581 feet (177 m)
Beam:	88 feet (27 m)
Draught:	24 feet (7 m)
Propulsion:	Steam turbines, 18 boilers, 4 shafts, 27,000 hp
Speed:	21 knots
Range:
Complement:	750–1100
Armament:	Ten 13.5-inch guns, sixteen 4-inch guns, three 21-inch submered torpedo tubes

The Orion class battleships were four super-dreadnoughts — the first ships of that type — of the Royal Navy's. The lead ship was Orion, launched in 1910. They were the first dreadnoughts to have all their main guns in the centerline as well as re-introducing the massive 13.5-inch main armament, not seen in Royal Navy service since the 1891 Royal Sovereign class battleships.

The Orion class ships cost almost 1.9 million pounds to construct and were designed to withstand heavy attack. All four were present at the battle of Jutland in World War I, 31 May 1916, but took no damage. They had a relatively short career, all being decommissioned in 1921 and disposed of in various ways in the 1920s, due to the Washington Naval Treaty.

Ships of the class

• Conqueror
• Monarch
• Orion
• Thunderer - After being decommissioned, she served as a cadet ship from 1922, becoming the last surviving ship of the class until she was scrapped in December 1926.