hms king george hms king george pennant number lead ship british king class battleships royal_navy laid commissioned king george operated second world war king george involved hunt pursuit german battleship eventually inflicting severe damage led german vessel sinking destroyer sank collision king george conditions king george took allied landings sicily bombarded island port escorted surrendered included battleships malta king george took operations japanese pacific following war king george spent years flagship placed reserve scrapped years later design general characteristics king george built walker naval yard newcastle laid january launched february commissioned december ship overall length beam draught displaced tons normal load tons load refit displaced tons load carry tons fuel oil tons diesel oil tons reserve feed water tons freshwater based designed fuel consumption range nautical miles knots nautical miles knots nautical miles knots practice fuel consumption higher knots actual range nautical miles designed tight ton limitations wartime service necessitated increases design displacement seriously reducing affecting acute low bow little forward bows easily buried moderate seas spray washing forward turrets heavy seas flood turret men machinery propulsion king george equipped admiralty boilers configuration little conventional nelson class boiler rooms placed pair associated turbine room astern total heating surface boiler plants king george ton boiler installation produced shaft horsepower giving speed knots boilers economic space fuel boilers battlecruiser hms hood fewer larger boilers lowered weight unit heat delivered increased boiler efficiency consumption fuel unit area heating surface king george fastest battleship british fleet slower german french new italian capital ships battlecruisers king george sets parsons geared turbines main turbines arranged series drove shaft double gears astern turbine incorporated exhaust low pressure turbine cruising turbine coupled directly high pressure turbine speed knots expected standard displacement knots load displacement normal output corresponding speeds condition knots respectively turbine unit low speed type rpm coupled single reduction gear produced rpm propeller shaft armament main battery tight limitations raised challenges required difficult met avoid class new ships foreign navies especially mid-1930s treaty renounced japan italy churchill wrote lord admiralty voicing strong objections proposed armament inch guns proposal inch guns completed king george mounted inch guns mounted twin turret forward quadruple turrets forward aft elevated degrees depressed degrees training arcs turret degrees turret degrees turret degrees training achieved hydraulic drive rates degrees second respectively gun broadside weighed pounds fired seconds quadruple turrets weighed tons twin turret tons turrets designed vickers armstrong works sets type equipment manufactured considerable design effort expended turrets possible complicated mechanical design turrets particularly quadruple insufficient slightly distorted link mechanisms failures intricate safety loading sequence precautions caused jams drills practice firing king george control main armament secondary battery secondary armament consisted inch guns twin mounts weighing tons grouped corners citadel twin mount main deck superimposed nearer amidships disposition gave better arcs fire freedom blast separation magazines better arrangement ammunition supply mounts revolved upper superstructure deck deck travelled roller paths armoured deck permitted flat trajectory high angle fire loading semi automatic normal rate fire rounds minute maximum range guns yards degree elevation anti aircraft ceiling feet guns elevated degrees depressed degrees guns practically fire seven rounds minute heavy weight shell fact inch round semi fixed requiring crew separately load cartridge shell breech king george introduced high angle control system anti aircraft fire control system royal_navy pioneered use rate unit anti aircraft battery king george design inch quadruple machine gun mounts replaced mounts combat air attack fitted turret turret replaced mount added stern mounted king george designed produced result post world war requirement multiple mounting effective close range bombers torpedo planes model tested superior developed countries time mark muzzle velocity feet second inch bore barrel length fired pound shell rate rounds minute controlled fire rounds minute automatic fire range mark yards muzzle velocity feet second mount weighed tons mark vii quadruple mount weighed tons power operated elevated degrees depressed degrees rate degrees second rate train normal ammunition supply board rounds barrel king george introduced director royal_navy ship world feature target tracking anti aircraft directors operational history class completed king george commissioned shipyard sailed scotland october took board ammunition began sea trials end year joined home_fleet flow crossed atlantic early lord halifax ambassador united_states covered east bound convoy return arriving scapa_flow february task provide distant cover raid islands north west coast norway escorted atlantic convoys march action heavy cruiser broke atlantic_ocean king george sailed cruisers destroyers support cruiser patrols iceland king george flagship admiral sir commanded force king george miles away morning hood engaged hood sunk prince wales damaged taking fire forced retire damaged continued south british located flying boat sighted heading french port brest king george miles away aircraft carrier ordered launch air attack torpedo bombers flight damaged slowing rudder forcing turn atlantic away safety port joined king george maintained knots nearly maximum speed king george percent fuel left fuel continue chase high speed following day admiral signalled battle plan sunrise free independently long generally movements king ships close range yards quickly possible turn broadside fire spotted turned away range soon sighted british ships starboard quarter informed roughly yards southwest king george sight yards minutes later opened fire king george followed suit minute answered immediately second king george closed yards inch guns firing firing inch concentrated remaining guns king george occasional shell came close king george yards opened fire inch guns moved yards shell hitting penetrated hydraulic machinery turret disabled causing guns run maximum depression wrecked large fire burned amidships firing steadily minutes problems king george began having trouble main battery point onward missed gun failures safety protection ammunition feed jams obviously sinking detailed cruiser finish torpedoes king george fired shells action king george low fuel returned port knots escorted destroyers guard german air submarine attack day escort reduced destroyers german aircraft attack scored hits king george returned port safely destroyer sent ahead refuel bombed sunk collision damage repairs adjustments guns king george attacked german shipping norway october covered convoys russia operating escort convoy collided destroyer avoid crossed bow dense fog cut king george feet bow badly damaged king george entered dock liverpool repairs returned scapa_flow july resume convoy escort duty mediterranean operations king george moved gibraltar preparation king george sister ship allocated reserve covering group operation got way july ships bombarded sicily july helped defend air raid whilst prior departing allied invasion italy ships bombarded islands reserve group landings began september king george escorted including battleships malta armistice howe provided cover transported taranto support operation september cruiser uss fast battleship escorted naval force occupied italian naval base taranto later escorted surrendered italian ships malta alexandria bombarding german positions landings king george returned united_kingdom pacific operations king george liverpool overhaul march june included installation additional radar gear anti aircraft guns improved accommodation ventilation october king george sailed scapa_flow command admiral sir join royal_navy units assembling ceylon stop alexandria route enabled divert bombard german positions december resumed eastward journey arriving december king george got way january flotilla known task force comprised king george aircraft carriers victorious cruisers destroyers stage voyage covering nautical miles sydney route force attacked oil sumatra operation practised sea beat japanese air attack king george anti aircraft crews shooting joined howe designated task force involved operations late march launched attacks airfields task repeated early king george led battleships cruisers minute bombardment japanese air facilities allies approached japanese homeland king george dispatched mid july join battleships bombardment industrial installations king george fired rounds inch guns operation task force moved southern carried bombardment aviation factories okinawa campaign battleship supported fast carriers offensive action night bombardment july dropping atomic bombs hiroshima nagasaki surrender followed king george moved units tokyo bay present surrender ceremonies post war january conveyed duke gloucester official visit australia returning portsmouth march flagship home_fleet december training vessel king active naval career terminated royal_navy june sister ships went reserve king george large warship preserved fashion involved sealing armament machinery boilers damp installing december downgraded extended reserve decision taken scrap ships following year king george moved berth ship breaking firm undergo career king george refitted occasions order update equipment following dates details undertaken
HMS King George V (41)