THE DREADNOUGHT
In 1906, Britain brought out the big guns. HMS Dreadnought was the first of a new class of battleship, representing such an advance in technology that an entire generation of ships came to be named after her. Unlike earlier classes, Dreadnought had a uniform main battery of large guns and was powered by steam turbines, making her the fastest battleship in the world. Immediately after her launch, navies scrabbled to compete, with the race intensifying in the lead-up to World War I.
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