In 1912 and 1913 there was only one type of warship launched having 23,000 tons displacement with 31,000 horsepower, a half a knot faster than previous dreadnoughts, and carrying, like the previous class, ten 13.5-inch guns, along with some of smaller caliber. The ships of this class were the _King George V_, _Ajax_, _Audacious_, and _Centurion_.
The year 1914 saw even more terrible machines of death launched. Two types were put into the water, the first that of the _Iron Duke_ class, of which the other members were the _Benbow_, _Emperor of India_, and _Marlborough_. They showed great improvement in every point; their speed was 22.5 knots, their displacement 25,000 tons, and their torpedo tubes five. Like their immediate predecessors, they carried a primary battery of ten 13.5-inch guns, along with the smaller ones, and their armor measured from 8 to 12 inches in thickness. The second type of the year was that of the _Queen Elizabeth_ and _Warspite_ class. They surpassed all the warships when they were built. Their speed for their size was the greatest--25 knots. They had the largest displacement among warships--27,500 tons; they had the thickest armor, ranging from 8 to 13.5 inches; they had the most improved form of engines--oil burners, developing 58,000 horsepower; and most marvelous of all was their primary battery, which consisted of eight 15-inch guns. The largest gun yet made had been the 16-inch gun, for use in permanent position in land forts, and, with the German army, for a mobile force. It now was shown that the modern warship could carry a gun as heavy as any on land. There were in the course of construction when the war broke out eight more such monsters, the _Malaya, Valiant_, and _Barham_, sister ships of the _Queen Elizabeth_, and the _Royal Oak_, _Resolution_, _Royal Monarch_, _Ramillies_, and _Renown_, each of 29,000 tons displacement, but having the same armament as the _Queen Elizabeth_. All of these were hastened to completion as soon as war was declared.
At the time of the declaration of war England had, in addition to these greatest ships, a number of supporting ships such as the ten battle cruisers, _Indomitable_, _Invincible_, _Indefatigable_, _Inflexible_, _Australia_, _New Zealand_, _Queen Mary_, _Princess Royal_, _Lion_, and the _Tiger_. Their displacements ranged from 17,250 to 28,000 tons, and their speeds from 25 to 30 knots, the last being that of the _Tiger_. Their speed is their greatest feature, for their armament and batteries are much lighter than those of the first-line ships.