Back to Panganaean Navy page
The Panagaean Navy, like all other navies, was caught out by the speed of the building of the Dreadnought. The Royal Navy had given itself a precious three to four year advantage, before the rest of the world could catch up. Catch up they did of course. Most navies first Dreadnoughts were just as good, if not better.
The Relentless was better than Dreadnought. More 12" guns per broadside, better armour, better secondary weapons, better freeboard (better seakeeping). The Relentless (love that name for a battleship!) was the culmination of the innovation of the triple turret design first put aboard the Resolution 10 years before. Both ships participated in World War One. Once Admiral Von Spee's armoured cruiser squadron was accounted for, the major units of the Fleet could be transferred to the European theater for use against the Germans, Austro-Hungarians, and Turks. Relentless and Majestic were initially sent to Gallipoli to back up the forces there. Early 1916 they went to the Clyde for refitting and refreshing then on to the Grand Fleet and Jutland. They joined the rag tag part of the Fleet where the single ships (only two of the R Class made it to Jutland) were put together to form the 6th Battle Squadron. Jutland was almost a non event for these two ships, they fired two broadsides at the German battle line, at what they thought were Nassau class dreadnoughts. 1917 and both ships were sent to Queenstown to act as convoy escorts. Both ships survived the war. The ships were still in existence at the start of World War Two, as sea going training ships. With the Germanic States large raiders at sea, these two ships were used as convoy escorts from Panagaea to Panama. Wartime alterations deleted all the low angle 4", replacing them with a mixture of 3" heavy AA guns, 2 pounder pom poms and 0.5" machine guns. The old stereoscopic gun directors being replaced with more modern units.
.PNG)
With the Japanese running rampant around the Pacific, the Panganaean Navy was under constant pressure. If the Japanese had tried to invade Panagaea, the armed services would be ready. These two ships were held at Resolution as they would act as coast defence vessels against any Japanese troops that may have landed. As it turned out, Midway happened before it was Panagaea's turn to feel the wrath of the Japanese. Relentless and Majestic went back to their training duties with stints as Convoy Escorts. It was as convoy escort that the Majestic was torpedoed, by a submarine, ripping out the side, the ship capsizing.
