At these ranges, lighter guns had good accuracy, and their high rate of fire delivered high volumes of ordnance on the target, known as the 'hail of fire'. In naval battles of the 1890s the decisive weapon was the medium-caliber, typically 6-inch (152 mm), quick-firing gun firing at relatively short range at the Battle of the Yalu River in 1894, the victorious Japanese did not commence firing until the range had closed to 3,900 metres (4,300 yd) and most of the fighting occurred at 2,000 metres (2,200 yd). There is still debate as to whether this point was important. Most historians also cite advantages in fire control at long ranges guns were aimed by observing the splashes caused by shells fired in salvos, and it was difficult to interpret different splashes caused by different calibers of gun. The newest 12-inch (305 mm) guns had more long-range firepower than a gun of 10-inch (254 mm) or 9.2-inch (234 mm) caliber. The move to all-big-gun designs was accomplished because a uniform, heavy-caliber armament offered advantages in both firepower and fire control, and the Russo-Japanese War showed that naval battles could, and likely would, be fought at long distances. Navy gained authorization for USS Michigan, carrying eight 12-inch guns in March she was laid down in December 1906. The Royal Navy began the design of HMS Dreadnought in January 1905 she was laid down in October. The Imperial Japanese Navy authorized the construction of Satsuma, designed with twelve 12-inch (305 mm) guns in 1904 she was laid down in May. Īll-big-gun designs commenced almost simultaneously in three navies. By 1903, serious proposals for an all-big-gun armament were circulated in several countries. Some designs had an intermediate battery of 8-inch (203 mm) guns. This was in keeping with the prevailing theory of naval combat that battles would initially be fought at some distance, but the ships would then approach to close range for the final blows, when the shorter-range, faster-firing guns would prove most useful. The typical battleship of the 1890s, now known as the ' pre-dreadnought', had a main armament of four heavy guns of 12-inch (305 mm) caliber, a secondary armament of six to eighteen quick-firing guns of between 4.7 inches (119 mm) and 7.5 inches (191 mm) caliber, and other smaller weapons. The distinctive all-big-gun armament of the dreadnought was developed in the first years of the 20th century as navies sought to increase the range and power of the armament of their battleships.

5 Battleship building from 1914 onwards.

2.2.2 Underwater protection and subdivision.

The term 'dreadnought' gradually dropped from use after World War I, especially after the Washington Naval Treaty, as virtually all remaining battleships shared dreadnought characteristics it can also be used to describe battlecruisers, the other type of ship resulting from the dreadnought revolution. At the Battle of Jutland, the British and German navies clashed with no decisive result. While dreadnought-building consumed vast resources in the early 20th century, there was only one battle between large dreadnought fleets. Most of the original dreadnoughts were scrapped after the end of World War I under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, but many of the newer super-dreadnoughts continued serving throughout World War II. These more powerful vessels were known as ' super-dreadnoughts'. Within five years, new battleships outclassed Dreadnought herself.

Successive designs increased rapidly in size and made use of improvements in armament, armor, and propulsion throughout the dreadnought era. Dreadnought races sprang up around the world, including in South America, lasting up to the beginning of World War I. As dreadnoughts became a crucial symbol of national power, the arrival of these new warships renewed the naval arms race between the United Kingdom and Germany. Her design had two revolutionary features: an 'all-big-gun' armament scheme, with an unprecedented number of heavy-calibre guns, and steam turbine propulsion. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's Dreadnought, had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as 'dreadnoughts,' and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts. The dreadnought was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The only remaining dreadnought still afloat, USS Texas, was launched in 1912 and is now a museum ship. The Royal Navy's HMS Dreadnought, the world's first dreadnought For other uses, see Dreadnought (disambiguation).

Custom dreadnought ships