Battleship is the general class of heavily armoured big-gun warship. Dreadnought names a specific generation of them, after HMS Dreadnought of 1906, whose all-big-gun design and turbine engines made every existing battleship obsolete overnight. All dreadnoughts were battleships; earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts.
The core difference
- battleship — the type: the most heavily armed and armoured class of surface warship.
- dreadnought — a battleship built to the pattern set by HMS Dreadnought in 1906.
What made Dreadnought different
Two changes, both decisive:
- All-big-gun armament. Earlier battleships carried a mixed battery of large and medium guns. Dreadnought carried a uniform main armament of ten 12-inch guns, which made accurate long-range fire control possible — spotting the fall of shot works only if the shells are identical.
- Steam turbines. Faster than the reciprocating engines of the day, and able to sustain high speed without shaking themselves apart.
Why it was a strategic own goal
Britain held a commanding lead in pre-dreadnought battleships. Launching a design that rendered all of them second-rate reset the count to near zero and let Germany compete from a much closer starting point. The naval arms race that followed is generally counted among the causes of the First World War.
The vocabulary it created
- Pre-dreadnought — a retrospective term. Nobody used it before 1906.
- Super-dreadnought — the next step up, with guns of 13.5 inches and larger.
- Battlecruiser — dreadnought guns on a lighter hull for speed, at the cost of armour. The weakness showed at Jutland, where three blew up.
The end of the type
Battleships were superseded by aircraft carriers during the Second World War, once it was clear that aircraft could sink capital ships at ranges no gun could reach. The last battleships in service were American Iowa-class vessels, finally retired in the 1990s.
Where the name comes from
Dreadnought means fearing nothing, from dread plus nought — a traditional Royal Navy ship name reused. Battleship is a shortening of line-of-battle ship, a vessel strong enough to stand in the line of battle, which is also the origin of the phrase ship of the line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a dreadnought and a battleship?
Battleship is the general class. Dreadnought names the generation built after HMS Dreadnought of 1906, with a uniform big-gun armament and turbine engines.
Why was HMS Dreadnought so important?
Its all-big-gun armament allowed accurate long-range fire control, and its turbines made it fast. Together these made every existing battleship second-rate.
What is a pre-dreadnought?
A retrospective label for battleships built before 1906, with mixed batteries of large and medium guns. The term did not exist until Dreadnought made it necessary.