Modernised KGV

I suspect if the RN had retained and modernized a KGV and kept it in service thru to the present day that a crew would have been avalaible for it as well ?

Presumably. Then again this is the RN of the later half of the 20th century we're talking about, which made some really dumb decisions. I would not put it past them to leave her swinging at anchors till the start of the Falklands Crisis and have to scramble to find some lads to man her.
 
Possible task force?

HMS Audacious flag ship
HMS KGV
HMS illustrious
HMS Hermes
HMS Cardiff
4 type 82 class destroyers

HMS Bristol
HMS Plymouth
HMS Liverpool
HMS Truro

Do you mean the HMS Audacious that became HMS Eagle or the one launched in 1912. I'd be curious how she escaped the breaker in the later case. Still if we want to maintain some pretense of fairness, why not give Argentina Graf Spee.
 
Presumably. Then again this is the RN of the later half of the 20th century we're talking about, which made some really dumb decisions. I would not put it past them to leave her swinging at anchors till the start of the Falklands Crisis and have to scramble to find some lads to man her.
Perhaps but in that case I also have some doubts that a world war 2 vintage battle ship would actually have been ready to deploy..
 
Perhaps but in that case I also have some doubts that a world war 2 vintage battle ship would actually have been ready to deploy..

Naturally.

What would a plausible reason for the RN to keep a battleship or two in commission be however? And why a KGV instead of Vanguard? She was only decommissioned 20 years before, after all...
 
Christ, that would literally be getting in a fist fight with the baby so you can steal it's candy. A modernized 8in heavy cruiser could do that job just fine, a KGV is just hilarious levels of overkill. Hell, a WW2 era Heavy Cruiser could do it.

There's a saying

'If it's a Fair Fight, you're doing it wrong'

Upgrades could have gone this way, like the planned USS Kentucky Guided Missile conversion
sYNWvBH.png

That's about equal to the loadout of four Long Beach Cruisers


Wouldn't mind seeing a Polaris armed KGV, bristling with Sea Slugs and Bloodhound launchers, would give them a real role.
 
Naturally.

What would a plausible reason for the RN to keep a battleship or two in commission be however? And why a KGV instead of Vanguard? She was only decommissioned 20 years before, after all...
Good questions that perhaps are best answered by the OP :)

Edit to add.. Re why a KGV vs Vanguard ? Maybe the RN decided that it would be easier to cannabilize several KGV's to provide spares for one active unit vs manufacturing new parts for a single Vanguard ?
 
Re why a KGV vs Vanguard ? Maybe the RN decided that it would be easier to cannabilize several KGV's to provide spares for one active unit vs manufacturing new parts for a single Vanguard ?
Would Vanguard not use the same parts apart from the main guns that where really just even older from the 15" fleet?
 
Would Vanguard not use the same parts apart from the main guns that where really just even older from the 15" fleet?

Yes, that's about it. Those 15" turrets came from Glorious and Courageous, the British twin 15" being a particularly effective and efficient turret.

The V survived in commission until 1960, but I don't think at full efficiency.
 
Do you mean the HMS Audacious that became HMS Eagle or the one launched in 1912. I'd be curious how she escaped the breaker in the later case. Still if we want to maintain some pretense of fairness, why not give Argentina Graf Spee.

Audacious that became Eagle
 
Good questions that perhaps are best answered by the OP :)

Edit to add.. Re why a KGV vs Vanguard ? Maybe the RN decided that it would be easier to cannabilize several KGV's to provide spares for one active unit vs manufacturing new parts for a single Vanguard ?

To the RN it's easier and cheaper to cannibalize the remaining KGV than to build and install parts for a custom vanguard
 
Get Creative! Remove rear turret from a KGV, Use space aft for large hanger and flight deck, load out ASW heilo, Junglies ,Harriers as mission profile requires. lose all the ww2 light AA, four phalanxes and four Breda/Bofors twin 40 fully auto turrets for cheap junk busting and additional AA. Where the huge space for the Hanger and catapult was between the funnels is used for accommodation for a couple of companies of marines and a humongous set of armoured missile bins to carry Cruise missiles, Exocets and other nasties. Lose four of the eight twin 5.2 turrets and install four eight cell seawolves in their place. Now you have a one ship task force to recapture the Falkland's!! Complete B@@!!@cks of course but hey it is Christmas!
 
If KGV is still active, the only way Argentina would make a move on the Falklands is if they are convinced it's just an immobile museum ship due to being a WWII hero.
 
For a proper challenge have HMS Warspite still operating in 1982. I doubt much more than the nameplates and the bell would be useable after 1945 but it's Xmas and budgets don't matter.
 
For a proper challenge have HMS Warspite still operating in 1982. I doubt much more than the nameplates and the bell would be useable after 1945 but it's Xmas and budgets don't matter.

Technically she did - although she did not take part in the actual battle as she had just finished a refit - she did relieve her sisters

49_HMS_Warspite_entering_Gibraltar_Feb1970.jpg


May her name livith on.....

The Grey Lady however had fired her last on 1st Nov 1944 when supporting ops to capture Walcheren island.

She was a ruin and even then beyond economical repair but her spirit remained strong
 
It would be easy to have a late 70's refit disguised as preparing for museum ship . Swap out all 8 twin 5.25 and replace with a single 4.5 inch mk 8 , 2 sextuple Sea Wolf launchers a pair of Phalanx each side as well . If you want to get really nifty remove the forward twin 14 inch turret and replace with a Sea Dart twin arm launcher . Add in 6 Exocet canisters each side and your bang for buck goes right up . If you want helo facilities the aft 14 quad can be removed and a full hangar built above deck . Add in a lift using the barbette to retract into and i'm guessing up to 6 Sea Kings could be housed . Total cost of rebuild would likely equal an Invincible but be more flexible . Assume a 2 to 3 yr refit and well Falkland's war is going to be fun . BTW any refit needs to add a full Sonar outfit . Especially VDS and Towed Array .
 
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