The Dreadnought

Before 1906 battleships were built with varying calibers of armament. This changed after the introduction of HMS Dreadnought in 1906. Dreadnought was so much more powerful then its predecessors it instantly made them obsolete, from then on they were known as “Pre-Dreadnoughts.” Some of which were rendered obsolete before they were even finished due to the introduction of HMS Dreadnought.

London had adopted the “two power standard” in 1889 as part of the Naval Defence Act of 1889. The standard ensured that the Royal Navy would be as powerful as the next two most powerful navies combined. The goal of the act was to deter foreign powers from expanding their own navies but thats another story.

SMS Nassau the first German dreadnought class.

USS South Carolina, the first American Dreadnought class

HMS Dreadnought, the ship that started the Dreadnought revolution.