Battlecruiser facts for kids

HMS Hood, the largest battlecruiser ever built, in Australia on 17 March 1924

A battlecruiser was a type of powerful warship used in the first half of the 1900s. These ships were similar in size and cost to battleships. However, battlecruisers were designed differently. They usually had thinner armor but much more powerful engines. This allowed them to travel at very high speeds.

The first battlecruisers were built in the United Kingdom. They were an improved version of the armoured cruiser. Their main goal was to be faster than any ship with similar weapons. They could also chase down and destroy slower ships with weaker weapons. They were meant to hunt down older, slower armored cruisers. They would use their heavy guns to destroy them. They would also avoid fighting slower, but more heavily armored, battleships. As more battlecruisers were built, they often fought alongside battleships.

Battlecruisers were used by the navies of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, Australia, and Japan during World War I. They were famous for battles like the Battle of the Falkland Islands and the Battle of Jutland. British battlecruisers suffered heavy losses at Jutland. This was because of poor fire safety and how they handled ammunition. This made them vulnerable to huge explosions if their main gun turrets were hit.

After World War I, battleships became faster, and battlecruisers got stronger armor. This made it hard to tell the difference between them. The Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 limited how many large warships could be built. This treaty treated battleships and battlecruisers the same. Many new battlecruiser designs were cancelled because of this treaty.

By the 1930s, new technology allowed for "fast battleships." These ships had the speed of a battlecruiser and the strong armor of a battleship. This made the old idea of a battlecruiser outdated. Only the Royal Navy continued to call their World War I-era ships "battlecruisers." Japan's battlecruisers were rebuilt and called "fast battleships."

Battlecruisers were used again in World War II. Only one survived the war. After the Cold War, the Soviet Kirov class class of large missile cruisers were sometimes called "battlecruisers."

Why Were Battlecruisers Developed?
- From Armored Cruisers to Battlecruisers
- The "All-Big-Gun" Idea
The First Battlecruisers: Invincible Class
Battlecruisers in the Naval Arms Race
Battlecruisers in World War I
- Building More Ships During the War
- Battlecruisers in Action
Between the World Wars
Battlecruisers in World War II
- Large Cruisers or "Cruiser Killers"
Cold War-Era Designs
Operators
- Former Operators
Images for kids
See also

Why Were Battlecruisers Developed?

From Armored Cruisers to Battlecruisers

The idea for the battlecruiser came from the Royal Navy in the early 1900s. It was an improved version of the armoured cruiser. Armored cruisers were first built in the 1870s. They tried to add armor to ships that did patrol, trade protection, and showed naval power. But these ships were often too slow because of the heavy armor. Navies often chose to build "protected cruisers" instead. These had an armored deck to protect their engines, or no armor at all.

In the 1890s, new technology changed things. New Krupp steel armor made it possible to give cruisers strong side armor. This armor could protect them from the fast-firing guns of enemy battleships and cruisers. Around 1896–1897, France and Russia began building large, fast armored cruisers using this new armor. Britain worried these cruisers could harm its worldwide trade if there was a war.

Britain responded by building its own large armored cruisers. Between 1899 and 1905, they built 35 of these ships. This led France and Russia to build more, too. Germany also started building large armored cruisers for their overseas stations. This "cruiser arms race" was very expensive. Many new armored cruisers were as big and costly as battleships.

HMS Shannon, a Minotaur-class armoured cruiser

The "All-Big-Gun" Idea

The growing size and power of armored cruisers led some in Britain to suggest they could replace battleships. Battleships had large 12-inch guns and heavy armor. But after 1900, these advantages seemed less useful. Torpedoes could now hit targets from 2,000 yards away. It seemed unlikely battleships would fight closer than that. At longer ranges, it was hard for heavy guns to hit anything with old aiming methods. Smaller 6-inch guns, which fired more shells, were more likely to hit.

In 1904, Admiral John "Jacky" Fisher became the head of the Royal Navy. He wanted to develop a new fast armored ship. He liked the idea of a faster, lighter armored battleship. Fisher asked naval architect W. H. Gard to design an armored cruiser with the strongest possible weapons. Gard designed a ship that was 14,000 to 15,000 tons. It could go 25 knots and had four 9.2-inch guns and twelve 7.5-inch guns. It also had 6 inches of armor on its side.

The Battle of Tsushima in 1905 showed that heavy guns were very effective. It also showed the need for ships to have guns of the same main size for better aiming. Even before this battle, the Royal Navy thought about building ships with only large guns. Fisher then argued that big-gun cruisers could replace battleships entirely. He believed that torpedoes from submarines and destroyers would make battleships too vulnerable. However, armored cruisers would still be important for protecting trade.

Fisher's ideas were very controversial. He set up a "Committee on Designs" to decide the future of battleship and armored cruiser building. The committee was asked to design a battleship that could go 21 knots with 12-inch guns. They also needed a cruiser that could go 25.5 knots, also with 12-inch guns. This cruiser would have armor like the newest armored cruiser, Minotaur.

The First Battlecruisers: Invincible Class

Britain planned to build three new battleships and four armored cruisers each year. But in late 1904, they had less money. So, the 1905–1906 plan was smaller: one battleship and three armored cruisers. The battleship became the famous Dreadnought. The cruisers became the three ships of the Invincible class class.

Construction of the Invincible class began in 1906 and finished in 1908. These ships were similar in size to Dreadnought. But the Invincibles were 40 feet longer. This was to fit more boilers and powerful steam turbines. These engines allowed them to reach 25 knots. They could keep this speed for days, unlike older battleships. The Invincibles had eight 12-inch guns, compared to ten on Dreadnought. Their armor was 6 to 7 inches thick on the hull and gun turrets. Dreadnought's armor was 11 to 12 inches thick. The Invincible class had much more speed, size, and firepower than older armored cruisers, but not more armor.

Invincible, Britain's first battlecruiser

The Invincibles were meant to do the same jobs as the armored cruisers they replaced, but better. Their main roles were:

Scouting: They could use their power to clear away enemy cruisers. Then they could get close to an enemy fleet to observe it. After that, they would use their speed to get away safely.
Fleet Support: They could be placed at the ends of the battle line. This would stop enemy cruisers from bothering battleships. They could also bother enemy battleships if they were busy fighting. They could also act as a fast part of the fleet to outmaneuver the enemy.
Chasing: If an enemy fleet tried to run away, the Invincibles would use their speed to chase. They would use their guns to damage or slow down the enemy ships.
Trade Protection: These new ships would hunt down enemy cruisers and ships that attacked merchant vessels.

People were confused about what to call these new ships. They were battleship-sized armored cruisers. In 1906, the Admiralty started calling all post-Dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers "capital ships." Fisher used "dreadnought" for both. The Invincible class was called "cruiser-battleships" or "dreadnought cruisers." The term "battlecruiser" was first used by Fisher in 1908. Finally, in 1911, the Admiralty officially classified them as "battle cruisers."

There was also uncertainty about their actual role because of their lighter armor. If they were mainly scouts or hunter-killers, their 7-inch armor was enough. But if they were expected to fight in a battle line with battleships, they were too lightly armored to be safe from enemy heavy guns. The Invincibles were very large, heavily armed, and fast armored cruisers. But the idea of armored cruisers was already being questioned.

Many naval experts, including Lord Fisher, thought that armored cruisers could survive in a battle line. They believed this after the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. They thought the cruisers' speed would protect them. But they didn't fully consider the Russian fleet's problems. By the time the term "battlecruiser" was used, many people thought they were as strong as battleships.

Not everyone agreed. Some argued that such large and expensive ships would be put into the main battle line. There, their lighter protection would be a disadvantage, and their high speed would not help. Those who supported battlecruisers said that all large ships were vulnerable to new weapons like torpedoes. So, armor was less important. They also argued that a battlecruiser's speed allowed it to control the distance of a fight.

Battlecruisers in the Naval Arms Race

After the Invincibles were launched, the battlecruiser played a smaller role in the growing naval arms race. It was not fully adopted as the main defense weapon for Britain. This was because Britain's strategic situation changed. The main enemy shifted from France and Russia to a rising Germany. Britain also formed alliances with France and Russia. Neither France nor Russia was a big naval threat anymore. The success of the Dreadnought battleship also made it the new model for large warships. Still, battlecruiser building was part of the renewed naval arms race.

HMS Queen Mary, the last battlecruiser built before World War I

For their first few years, the Invincibles met Fisher's goal. They could sink any ship fast enough to catch them. They could also run away from any ship that could sink them. An Invincible could also often defeat an older battleship. Naval experts agreed that the armored cruiser had reached its limit. The Invincibles were so much better than any enemy armored cruiser in firepower and speed. It was hard to justify building more or bigger cruisers. This lead was helped by the surprise of Dreadnought and Invincible being built in secret. This made other navies delay their plans and redesign their ships. The last German armored cruiser, Blücher, was armed with only 8.3-inch guns. It was no match for the new battlecruisers.

The Royal Navy's early lead in large warships led them to reject a 1905–1906 design. This design would have combined the battlecruiser and battleship ideas into what became the fast battleship. This 'X4' design had the full armor and weapons of Dreadnought with the 25-knot speed of Invincible. But it was too expensive. So, the slower and cheaper Bellerophon was built instead. The 'X4' idea was later seen in the Queen Elizabeth class class and other navies.

The next British battlecruisers were the three Indefatigable class ships. They were slightly improved Invincibles. This was partly due to pressure to save money. It was also because Germany kept their battlecruiser designs secret, especially the heavy armor of SMS Von der Tann. This class was later seen as a mistake. The next British battlecruisers were much more powerful. By 1909–1910, worries about Germany led to approval for eight large warships. Fisher wanted all eight to be battlecruisers. But he only got six battleships and two battlecruisers of the Lion class class. The Lions had eight 13.5-inch guns, the standard for British "super-dreadnoughts." Their speed increased to 27 knots. Their armor was better than previous British battlecruisers, with a 9-inch armor belt. The two Lions were followed by the very similar Queen Mary.

SMS Seydlitz

By 1911, Germany had built its own battlecruisers. British ship superiority was no longer guaranteed. The German Navy did not share Fisher's view of battlecruisers. They focused on making their ships' armor and staying power better. This was different from Britain's focus on speed and firepower. Von der Tann, finished in 1910, had eight 11.1-inch guns. But with 11.1-inch armor, she was much better protected than the Invincibles. The two Moltkes were similar but had ten 11.1-inch guns. Seydlitz, finished in 1913, was a changed Moltke. Her speed increased to 26.5 knots. Her armor was up to 12 inches thick, like battleships from a few years earlier. Seydlitz was Germany's last battlecruiser finished before World War I.

The next step in battlecruiser design came from Japan. The Imperial Japanese Navy planned the Kongō-class ships from 1909. They wanted each ship to be more powerful than its rivals. They first planned the class based on the Invincibles. But when they learned about Britain's Lion plans and new US battleships with 14-inch guns, Japan changed its plans. A new plan was made with eight 14-inch guns. These ships could go 27.5 knots. This gave them a slight edge over the Lions in speed and firepower. Their heavy guns were also better placed. The armor was also slightly better than the Lions. The first ship was built in Britain, and three more in Japan. Japan also reclassified their powerful armored cruisers of the Tsukuba and Ibuki classes as battlecruisers. These had four 12-inch guns but were weaker and slower than other battlecruisers.

Kongō

The next British battlecruiser, Tiger, was meant to be the fourth Lion class ship. But she was greatly redesigned. She kept the eight 13.5-inch guns of her predecessors. But they were placed like Kongō's for better firing angles. She was faster (29 knots in trials) and had more secondary weapons. Tiger also had heavier armor overall. While the thickest armor was still 9 inches, the main armor belt was taller. Not all desired improvements were approved. Her designer wanted her to go 32 knots, but he didn't get support.

In 1912, Germany began work on three more battlecruisers of the Derfflinger class class. These were the first German battlecruisers to have 12-inch guns. Like Tiger and the Kongōs, their guns were arranged for better efficiency. Their armor and speed were similar to the previous Seydlitz class. In 1913, Russia also began building four ships of the Borodino class class. These were designed for the Baltic Sea. They were meant to have twelve 14-inch guns, armor up to 12 inches thick, and a speed of 26.6 knots. Their heavy armor and slower speed made them more like German designs than British ships. Construction of the Borodinos stopped during World War I. All were scrapped after the Russian Civil War.

Battlecruisers in World War I

Building More Ships During the War

During World War I, building large warships was very limited for most countries. Germany finished the Derfflinger class. They also started work on the Mackensen class class. The Mackensens were an improved Derfflinger design. They had 13.8-inch guns and similar armor. They were designed for 28 knots.

In Britain, Jackie Fisher returned as head of the Royal Navy in October 1914. He still loved big, fast ships. He asked designers to create a battlecruiser with 15-inch guns. Fisher expected the next German battlecruiser to go 28 knots. So, he wanted the new British design to go 32 knots. He planned to change the order for two Revenge-class battleships that had not yet been started. These became the Renown class class. They had six 15-inch guns but only 6-inch armor. This was a step forward in firepower and speed from Tiger. But it returned to the protection level of the first British battlecruisers.

At the same time, Fisher secretly got approval for three more fast, lightly armored ships. These ships used spare 15-inch gun turrets from battleship construction. Fisher sometimes called them light battlecruisers. But officially, they were "large light cruisers." This unusual name was needed because new large warship construction was on hold. But there were no limits on light cruiser construction. These ships were Courageous, Glorious, and Furious. They had a strange imbalance. Their main guns were 15 inches (or 18 inches in Furious). But their armor was only 3 inches thick, like a light cruiser. This design was generally seen as a failure. However, these ships were later successfully converted into aircraft carriers. Fisher also thought about a huge, lightly built battlecruiser with 20-inch guns, called HMS Incomparable. But this idea never went beyond the planning stage.

The Renown and Courageous classes were often thought to be designed for Fisher's plan to land troops on the German Baltic coast. They had a reduced draught, which might be important in the shallow Baltic Sea. However, it's not certain if they were designed specifically for the Baltic. Earlier ships were thought to have too much draught.

The final British battlecruiser design of the war was the Admiral class class. This came from a need for an improved version of the Queen Elizabeth battleship. The project began in late 1915. Senior naval officers felt Britain had enough battleships. But they thought new battlecruisers might be needed to fight German ships being built. A battlecruiser design with eight 15-inch guns, 8 inches of armor, and a speed of 32 knots was chosen. After the Battle of Jutland, the design was greatly changed. It became a fast battleship with armor up to 12 inches thick. But it could still go 31.5 knots. The first ship, Hood, was built to this design. Her three sister ships were cancelled in 1919.

The Admiral class would have been the only British ships able to fight the German Mackensen class. However, German shipbuilding slowed greatly during the war. While two Mackensens were launched, none were ever finished. The Germans also worked on three more ships, the Ersatz Yorck class class. These were changed Mackensens with 15-inch guns.

Battlecruisers in Action

The first battle involving battlecruisers in World War I was the Battle of Heligoland Bight in August 1914. British light cruisers and destroyers attacked German patrols. When they met stronger German ships, Vice Admiral David Beatty brought his five battlecruisers into the fight. They turned the battle around, sinking three German light cruisers.

The German battlecruiser Goeben had a big impact early in the war. She was in the Mediterranean. She and her escorting light cruiser SMS Breslau escaped British and French ships when the war started. They sailed to Constantinople (Istanbul). Two British battlecruisers chased them. The two German ships were given to the Ottoman Navy. This helped bring the Ottoman Empire into the war on the side of the Central Powers. Goeben, renamed Yavuz Sultan Selim, fought against the Imperial Russian Navy in the Black Sea. She was later put out of action after the Battle of Imbros in January 1918.

The original battlecruiser idea worked well in December 1914 at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. The British battlecruisers Inflexible and Invincible did exactly what they were designed for. They chased down and destroyed the German East Asia Squadron. This squadron included the armored cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. The battle took place in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Seydlitz was heavily damaged in the Battle of Dogger Bank

During the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915, the German flagship Seydlitz was hit by a British 13.5-inch shell. The shell hit the rear gun turret's base. It didn't go through the armor. But it knocked off a piece of armor. This allowed flames from the shell's explosion to get inside. The gunpowder charges being lifted up caught fire. The fire spread into the gun turret and down into the magazine. The gun crew tried to escape into the next turret. This allowed the fire to spread there too, killing both crews. Seydlitz was saved from destruction only because her rear magazines were quickly flooded. This near-disaster was due to how ammunition was handled. This was a problem for both German and British ships. But the lighter armor on battlecruisers made them more vulnerable. The Germans learned from this and changed their ammunition handling to prevent flash fires.

The battle was mostly undecided. Both the British flagship Lion and Seydlitz were badly damaged. Lion lost speed and fell behind. A British signaling error allowed the German battlecruisers to escape. Most of Beatty's ships mistakenly focused on the crippled armored cruiser Blücher, sinking her. The British blamed their poor gunnery. They tried to fire faster by storing unprotected gunpowder charges near their guns.

Queen Mary blows up during the Battle of Jutland

At the Battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916, both British and German battlecruisers were used as part of the main fleets. The British battlecruisers fought their German counterparts. Then they fought German battleships before the main British fleet arrived. This resulted in a disaster for the Royal Navy's battlecruiser squadrons. Invincible, Queen Mary, and Indefatigable exploded. Almost all their crews were lost. The exact reason for the magazine explosions is unknown. But storing many exposed gunpowder charges near the guns to fire faster certainly contributed to their loss. Beatty's flagship Lion was almost lost in the same way. But a brave officer, Major Francis Harvey, saved her.

The better-armored German battlecruisers did better. This was partly because British shell fuzes often failed or broke apart on impact. Lützow was the only German battlecruiser lost at Jutland. She had only 128 killed, even after being hit over thirty times. The other German battlecruisers, Moltke, Von der Tann, Seydlitz, and Derfflinger, were all heavily damaged. They needed extensive repairs after the battle. Seydlitz barely made it home.

Between the World Wars

New Designs After World War I

After World War I, Britain, Japan, and the US began designing new, even more powerful battleships and battlecruisers. This new shipbuilding race was very expensive and politically controversial. The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 stopped this arms race. The major naval powers agreed to limit the number of large warships. Germany was not part of these talks. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not allowed any modern large warships.

Hood, launched in 1918, was the last World War I battlecruiser to be finished. Because of lessons from Jutland, the ship was changed during construction. Her side armor was made 50 percent thicker and extended further. She also got heavier deck armor. Her magazines were better protected against ammunition explosions. Hood was the largest ship in the Royal Navy when completed. She combined the firepower and armor of a battleship with the speed of a battlecruiser. Some called her a fast battleship. However, her protection was less than that of British battleships built right after World War I.

Lexington-class battlecruiser (painting, c. 1919)

Japan and the United States were not directly affected by the war. They had time to develop new heavy 16-inch guns for their latest designs. They also improved their battlecruiser designs based on European combat experience. Japan began building four Amagi-class battlecruisers. These ships would have been huge and powerful. They would be as fast and well-armored as Hood. They would also carry ten 16-inch guns, the most powerful weapons ever planned for a battlecruiser. They were, in practice, fast battleships. The only differences between them and the Tosa-class battleship class were 1 inch less side armor and a 0.25-knot speed increase.

The United States Navy responded with the Lexington class class. If finished as planned, they would have been very fast and well-armed with eight 16-inch guns. But their armor was only slightly better than the Invincibles. This was after an 8,000-ton increase in protection after Jutland. The final stage in the post-war battlecruiser race was Britain's response to the Amagi and Lexington types. These were four 48,000-ton G3 battlecruisers. Royal Navy documents often called any battleship faster than 24 knots a battlecruiser. But the G3 was seen by most as a well-balanced fast battleship.

The Washington Naval Treaty meant none of these designs were completed. Ships that had been started were either broken up or converted into aircraft carriers. In Japan, Amagi and Akagi were chosen for conversion. Amagi was too damaged by an earthquake and was scrapped. The hull of a Tosa-class battleship, Kaga, was converted instead. The US Navy also converted two battlecruiser hulls into aircraft carriers: USS Lexington and USS Saratoga. In Britain, Fisher's "large light cruisers" were converted to carriers. Furious was partly converted during the war. Glorious and Courageous were also converted.

Rebuilding Older Battlecruisers

Repulse as she was in 1919

Renown, as reconstructed, in 1939

Nine battlecruisers survived the Washington Naval Treaty. However, HMS Tiger was later scrapped due to the London Naval Conference 1930. Because their high speed made them useful, most of these ships were greatly updated before World War II. Renown and Repulse were modernized in the 1920s and 1930s. Between 1934 and 1936, Repulse was partly modernized. Her bridge was changed, and she got an aircraft hangar, catapult, and new gunnery equipment. Her anti-aircraft weapons were also increased. Renown had a more complete reconstruction between 1937 and 1939. Her deck armor was increased, and she got new engines. An aircraft hangar and catapult were added. She was completely rearmed, except for her main guns, which had their elevation increased. Her bridge was also replaced with a large one similar to the King George V-class battleships. While these changes usually added weight, Renown's weight actually decreased due to lighter engines. Similar rebuilds planned for Repulse and Hood were cancelled because World War II began.

Japan could not build new ships. So, they improved their existing Kongō-class battlecruisers. These were Haruna, Kirishima, and Kongō. Hiei was rebuilt later. During the first rebuild, their main guns' elevation was increased. They also got anti-torpedo bulges and 3,800 tons of horizontal armor. This reduced their speed. The second rebuild focused on speed. They were chosen as fast escorts for aircraft carrier groups. New main engines and a longer hull allowed them to reach 30 knots again. They were reclassified as "fast battleships." But their armor and guns were still weaker than World War I-era battleships in the American or British navies. This had serious consequences during the Pacific War. Hiei and Kirishima were easily damaged by US gunfire near Guadalcanal. They had to be sunk shortly after. Hiei was crippled by medium-caliber gunfire from cruisers in a close-range night battle.

Two exceptions were Turkey's Yavuz Sultan Selim and the Royal Navy's Hood. The Turkish Navy made only small improvements to Yavuz. These focused on repairing war damage and adding new fire control and anti-aircraft weapons. Hood was always in service and could not be taken out for a long reconstruction. She received minor improvements in the 1930s, including modern fire control, more anti-aircraft guns, and radar in 1941.

Naval Rearmament in the Late 1930s

In the late 1930s, navies began building large warships again. During this time, some large "commerce raiders" and small, fast battleships were built. These are sometimes called battlecruisers. Germany and Russia designed new battlecruisers. But only Russia started building two of the 35,000-ton Kronshtadt class class. They were still being built when Germany invaded in 1941. Construction stopped, and both ships were scrapped after the war.

Germany planned three battlecruisers of the O class class as part of their navy expansion. These ships would have six 15-inch guns, high speed, and excellent range. But they would have very thin armor. They were meant to attack merchant ships. Only one was ordered shortly before World War II. No work was ever done on it. They were known by their contract names: 'O', 'P', and 'Q'. This new class was not liked by everyone in the German Navy. Their very light protection earned them the nickname "Ohne Panzer Quatsch" (without armor nonsense).

Battlecruisers in World War II

The Royal Navy used some of its battlecruisers during the Norwegian Campaign in April 1940. The German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst fought Renown in very bad weather. They disengaged after Gneisenau was damaged. One of Renown's 15-inch shells went through Gneisenaus fire control tower without exploding. It cut electrical and communication cables and destroyed the rangefinders. Main gun control had to be moved to the back of the ship. Another shell from Renown knocked out Gneisenaus rear turret. The British ship was hit twice by German shells that did not cause much damage. Renown was the only pre-war battlecruiser to survive the war.

In the early years of the war, some German ships successfully hunted merchant ships in the Atlantic. Allied battlecruisers like Renown, Repulse, and the fast battleships Dunkerque and Strasbourg were used to hunt these German ships. One major fight happened when the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen sailed into the North Atlantic. They were intercepted by Hood and the battleship Prince of Wales in May 1941 in the Battle of the Denmark Strait. The old British battlecruiser was no match for the modern German battleship. Within minutes, Bismarck's 15-inch shells caused a magazine explosion in Hood. This was similar to the Battle of Jutland. Only three men survived.

The first battlecruiser to see action in the Pacific War was Repulse. She was sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers north of Singapore on December 10, 1941. She was with Prince of Wales. Repulse was lightly damaged by one 250 kg bomb and two near-misses in the first Japanese attack. Her speed and agility allowed her to avoid other attacks and dodge 33 torpedoes. The last group of torpedo bombers attacked from many directions. Repulse was hit by five torpedoes. She quickly capsized (flipped over) and sank. 27 officers and 486 crewmen were lost. 42 officers and 754 enlisted men were rescued by escorting destroyers. The loss of Repulse and Prince of Wales clearly showed that large warships were vulnerable to aircraft without their own air cover.

The Japanese Kongō-class battlecruisers were widely used as carrier escorts during the war because of their high speed. Their World War I-era weapons were weaker. Their upgraded armor was still thin compared to modern battleships. On November 13, 1942, during the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Hiei ran into American cruisers and destroyers at very close range. The ship was badly damaged. Her sister ship Kirishima had to tow her. Both were spotted by American aircraft the next morning. Kirishima had to let go of the tow because of repeated air attacks. Hiei's captain ordered her crew to leave the ship after more damage. Hiei was scuttled (sunk on purpose) on November 14. On the night of November 14/15, during the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Kirishima returned. But she met the American battleships South Dakota and Washington. Kirishima failed to detect Washington. She engaged South Dakota with some success. Washington opened fire a few minutes later at short range. She badly damaged Kirishima, knocking out her rear turrets, jamming her rudder, and hitting the ship below the waterline. The flooding could not be controlled. Kirishima capsized three and a half hours later.

Returning to Japan after the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Kongō was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine Sealion II on November 21, 1944. Haruna was docked at Kure, Japan. The naval base was attacked by American carrier aircraft on July 24 and 28, 1945. The ship was only lightly damaged by one bomb hit on July 24. But she was hit a dozen more times on July 28 and sank at her pier. She was refloated after the war and scrapped in early 1946.

Large Cruisers or "Cruiser Killers"

USS Alaska, one of the United States Navy's two "large cruisers"

Just before World War II, there was a new interest in ships between battleships and cruisers in size. Some called them battlecruisers. But they were never officially classified as large warships. They were called "super cruisers," "large cruisers," or "unrestricted cruisers." The Dutch, American, and Japanese navies all planned these new classes. They were specifically designed to fight the heavy cruisers being built by their rivals.

The first such ships were the Dutch Design 1047. They were designed to protect Dutch colonies in the East Indies from Japanese aggression. These ships were never officially named. They were designed with help from Germany and Italy. They looked like the German Scharnhorst class and had the same main guns. But they would have lighter armor. It would only protect against 8-inch gunfire. The design was mostly finished. But work on the ships never started because Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940.

The only class of these late battlecruisers actually built were the United States Navy's Alaska-class "large cruisers." Two were completed, Alaska and Guam. A third, Hawaii, was cancelled while being built. Three others were cancelled before they were started. They were classified as "large cruisers" instead of battlecruisers. These ships were named after territories or protectorates. (Battleships were named after states, and cruisers after cities.) With nine 12-inch guns and a displacement of 27,000 tons, the Alaskas were twice the size of Baltimore-class cruisers. Their guns were about 50% larger. They lacked the thick armor belt and complex torpedo defense system of true large warships. However, unlike most battlecruisers, they were considered a balanced design for cruisers. Their protection could withstand fire from their own size of gun, but only at a very specific range. They were designed to hunt Japanese heavy cruisers. But by the time they entered service, most Japanese cruisers had been sunk by American aircraft or submarines. Like the fast battleships of the Iowa-class class, their speed made them more useful as carrier escorts and bombardment ships.

Japan started designing the B64 class. This was similar to the Alaska but with 12.2-inch guns. News of the Alaskas led them to upgrade the design, creating Design B-65. With 14-inch guns, the B65s would have been the best armed of the new battlecruisers. But they would still only have enough protection against 8-inch shells. Like the Dutch, Japan finished the design for the B65s. But they never started building them. By the time the designs were ready, the Japanese Navy realized they had little use for these ships. Their priority was building aircraft carriers. Like the Alaskas, the Japanese did not call these ships battlecruisers. They called them super-heavy cruisers.

Cold War-Era Designs

Admiral Lazarev, formerly Frunze, the second ship of her class

After World War II, most navies stopped using battleships and battlecruisers. But Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union liked large warships with big guns. So, the Soviet Union planned a large cruiser class in the late 1940s. In the Soviet Navy, they were called "heavy cruisers." These were the Project 82 (Stalingrad) cruisers. They were 36,500 tons, had nine 12-inch guns, and a speed of 35 knots. Three ships were started in 1951–1952. But they were cancelled in April 1953 after Stalin's death. Only the central armored hull section of the first ship, Stalingrad, was launched in 1954 and used as a target.

The Soviet Kirov class class is sometimes called a battlecruiser. This is because they are over 24,000 tons. This is about the same size as a World War I battleship. It's more than twice the size of other cruisers at the time. When Kirov entered service, she was the largest surface warship built since World War II. The Kirov class does not have the heavy armor that separates battlecruisers from regular cruisers. Russia classifies them as heavy nuclear-powered missile cruisers. Their main weapons are twenty P-700 Granit surface-to-surface missiles. Four ships of the class were completed in the 1980s and 1990s. But due to budget problems, only the Pyotr Velikiy is active with the Russian Navy. Plans were announced in 2010 to return the other three ships to service. As of 2021, Admiral Nakhimov was being refitted. But the other two ships are reportedly too expensive to repair.

Operators

Russian Navy operates one Kirov-class battlecruiser with one more being overhauled.

Former Operators

Imperial German Navy five surviving battlecruisers were all sunk on purpose at Scapa Flow in 1919.
Royal Australian Navy decommissioned its only battlecruiser HMAS Australia in 1921.
Imperial Japanese Navy upgraded its Kongo-class battlecruisers into fast-battleships in the 1930s, ending their operation of battlecruisers.
Royal Navy last battlecruiser, HMS Renown was decommissioned in 1945, after World War II.
United States Navy two Alaska-class battlecruisers were both decommissioned in 1947.
Turkish Navy decommissioned its only battlecruiser TCG Yavuz in 1950.