Dreadnought, like Satsuma and South Carolina, would carry a single main armament of large guns, rather than the mixed armament of previous ships. But Fisher wanted more than big guns.

By the end of this decade, the Royal Navy (RN), the UK’s maritime fighting force, should launch into service the Dreadnought class of submarines. The new family of four is meant to replace the ...

The ship was active for 34 years, fighting in World War I and World War II, and assuming multiple roles, including training Navy officers and periodically serving as a fleet and division flagship.

Commissioned in 1910, it would be the lead ship of its class. USS South Carolina and Michigan were revolutionary at the time, in the U.S., as the nation’s first dreadnoughts.

Dreadnought, like Satsuma and South Carolina, would carry a single main armament of large guns, rather than the mixed armament of previous ships. But Fisher wanted more than big guns.

The total cost of the Dreadnought program is estimated at about £31 billion (US$39 billion), with an additional £10 billion (US$12.5 billion) for contingencies.

HMS Iron Duke was the second battleship named after the Duke of Wellington. The first, scrapped in 1906, had the distinction of ramming and sinking HMS Vanguard, another Royal Navy battleship.