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These main battery 12-inch guns had a range of some 12 miles but suffered from bore erosion, short barrel life and poor accuracy due to inconsistent performance of the cordite propellant. The subsequent Mark XII evolution of these guns also suffered the same problems, and this led to the development of the 13.5-inch Mk V gun, which had much better performance.

Her secondary battery comprised 18 single Mk III BL 4-inch guns that were introduced in 1908 to deal with the threat of fast-moving, small and agile German torpedo boats. She carried four 3-pounder saluting guns and was fitted with three submerged 18-inch torpedo tubes.

Vanguard’s main vertical waterline armour belt was 10-inch thick Krupp cemented armour – and above the main waterline belt was a strake of 8-inch armour. Her transverse bulkheads, linking the main waterline vertical armour belts on either side of the ship forward of A turret and aft of Y turret to form the citadel, were 5 and 8 inches thick. The P and Q 12-inch main battery wing turret barbettes abreast the bridge had 10-inch-thick outer face armour, whilst the three centreline barbettes, A, X and Y, had 9-inch armour above the main deck that reduced to 5-inch armour below decks. Her horizontal armoured decks varied from 1.5 to 3 inches thick.