G3 Battlecruiser Summary

This is a 3D printed G3 battlecruiser sculpt by EBard Models. 

The G3 battlecruiser class was planned by the Royal Navy after the end of World War I in response to naval expansion programmes by the United States and Japan.

In 1916 the US had declared its intention to create a Navy "second to none" and begain building of a large number of battleships and battlecruisers. The Japanese government were also embarking on a large program of their own, and Britain needed a response or fear being left behind.

The G3 class was to be four ships larger, faster and more heavily armed than any existing battleship at the time. The G3s have been considered to be proper "fast battleships" since they were well-balanced designs with adequate protection. Nonetheless the class was officially designated as a "battlecruiser" due to their higher speed and lesser firepower and armour relative to typical battleship designs. The G3s were outfitted with nine 16-inch (406 mm) guns and were expected to achieve 32 knots.

The design called for an "all or nothing" protection scheme. Medium-thickness armour had proven to be useless in stopping heavy-calibre shells during World War I so the vital areas of the ship were protected by the thickest possible armour and the rest of the ship was left unarmoured. The design was approved in 1921 and orders for 4 ships placed. These were suspended shortly thereafter due to the Washington Naval Conference limiting battleship sizes. The orders were cancelled in February 1922 with the ratification of the Washington Naval Treaty. 

The G3s incorporated several novel features for British capital ships of the time. Most immediately noticeable was the concentration of the main battery forward of the bridge and engineering spaces, giving the ships a tanker-like appearance. Since the G3s were to use existing dockyard facilities, this layout allowed designers to keep the length of the ships, as well as the weight of armour, to a minimum. The resulting loss of heavy fire astern was considered justifiable since the ships were intended to fight on the broadside. A related feature of the G3 was their tower bridge structure behind the first two gun turrets. This provided a better and more stable foundation for fire-control equipment, greatly improved accommodation and protection from the weather.

The G3 battlecruisers would be very large ships, significantly larger than the preceding Admiral class. They had an overall length of 856 feet (260.9 m), a beam of 106 feet (32.3 m), and would have displaced 48,400 long tons (49,200 t) normally and 53,909 long tons (54,774 t) at deep load.

Much of this design was incorporated into the Nelson class battleships.

Insignia can be added to each deck decal to make it easier to identify ship nationality. Select from your choice of images.

National Roundel	Flag Roundel	FEC Roundel	SEAC Roundel

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