How HMS Warspite scored the longest-range battleship to battleship hit in Earth's naval history

HMS Warspite, affectionately known to Royal Navy sailors from Admiral Cunningham down as the "Grand old lady," was at the heart of the action in two word wars, often under the fiercest attack, never defeated. She had fifteen battle honours, more than any other ship.

Her 15-inch guns were lethally effective and one of them scored the longest-range battleship-to-battleship hit in the history of naval warfare - a hit on the enemy flagship which made the opposing admiral order his whole force to withdraw.

This is the story of the 15-inch guns which provided HMS Warspite and a whole generation of Royal Navy capital ships with their main armament and why they were the most successful naval guns of the 20th century.


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