British Battleship King George V Specs and History

British Battleship King George V

The King George V or KGV was the first of its class of five battleships. This class of Battleships included the Prince of Wales, Anson, Duke of York and Howe and they were all completed and commissioned in the early 1940s. The KGV class had a main armament of ten 14 inch guns in two quadruple and one double turret, with secondary armament of sixteen 5.25 inch guns. This class of battleship carried a complement of approximately 1425 men and was built as a result of European Naval Arms race which began at the expiration to the various naval treaties. These ships were built subsequent to the start of the Littorio class Italian battleships and the Bismarck class German battleships. The King George V was assigned to the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow for a large portion of the war and is known mostly for its battle with the German Battleship Bismarck. After the disastrous sinking of the famous Hood, the guns of the KGV and Rodney pummeled the Bismarck, which resulted in what many authorities now claim was its scuttling by its crew. The KGV was present on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Japanese surrender and was placed on the disposal list in 1957.