HMS Conqueror - The never built titan.
Despite the performance of the Iron Duke Class the ships were considered 'small and undergunned' when compared to the American 16-inch gunned ships or the treaty breaking Bismarck's and Littorio's (both of which aslo had 15-inch guns) and rumors of absolutely massive ships being built by Japan and their answer by the USA called for a British answer. The design for the Conqueror initially started as a somewhat enlarged Iron Duke, armed with 9 x 16-inch Mk 2 guns, but wartime experience and constant redesigns saw the ship grow and change until in late 43 a monster would emerge from the DNC's offices at 70,750 tons standard load and a mind boggling 87.500 tons full load.
The size was no less immense.
Length: 944 feet overall; 928 feet waterline
Beam: 121 feet hull; 127 feet with bulges
Draught: 33.3 feet normal; 36.18 feet deep
This dwarfed the Iron Dukes who 'only' measured 707 ft (oa), 700 ft (wl) long, 103 ft beam, 28 ft draught (normal load)
The armament was to be equally impressive with 12 x 16-inch Mk 2 guns (of which one rifle was completed and tested in 1945) whilst her secondary armament was to feature the 5.25-inch turrets on the Dido class, all of which featured remote power control and powered loading and ramming, allowing for a rate of fire of 18 rounds per gun against air and surface targets.
The AA fit evolved over time but by the time the design was finally completed in 1944 it would consist of
11 x 6 barrelled 40mm Bofors Mk VI
12 x 1 40mm Bofors Mk VII in Power Assisted mounts.
4 x 2 40mm STAAG
4 x 1 20mm Oerlikon
A Mk VII in Power Assisted mount.
These were to be guided by the latest fire control systems and RADAR systems and the ships aircraft facilities were deleted early on.
The armour protection was also extensive and impressive, a 16-inch thick belt, inclined at 25 degrees offered protection against all predicted weapons, whilst the main armoured deck started at 4-inches and went up to 12-inches over the vitals. The turrets were also heavily armoured with 22-inches of armour on their faces. A considerable amount of weight was also put into the engineering and hull testing at Hasla predicted a maximum speed of 30 - 31 knots.
Of course due to the demands of other programs the Conqueror or her sistership Thunderer were never laid down, and whilst the 16-inch Mk 2 was tested in 1945 and found to be a very capable weapon, the age of the Battleship had passed and even with 12-inches of deck armour, the Conqueror would have been vulnerable to air attacks as had been shown with the destruction of the Yamato and Musashi. The Americans also cancelled their planned Montana classes and no allied 'Super Ships' were ever made.
The 16-inch Mk 2 gun can be seen at the main entrance to Porstmouth Naval Base where it serves as a gate guard.