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The new dreadnoughts were some 10 per cent bigger than the pre-dreadnoughts; they were faster, carried better armour and were better compartmentalised internally. They also dispensed with much of the smaller calibre secondary armament of the pre-dreadnoughts, and gunnery on these new all big gun ships was radically improved.

The first of the new class of dreadnoughts were equipped with ten 12-inch guns set in five twin turrets, each gun being able to fire an 850lb shell 18,500 yards – more than 10 miles. The first British dreadnoughts had three of their five big gun turrets set on the centre line of the ship; A turret forward and two turrets, X and Y, aft. P turret was situated on the port side of the bridge superstructure, with Q turret on the starboard side in a staggered wing arrangement that allowed more space on the centreline of the vessel for boilers and machinery. The new dreadnoughts also had the latest 11-inch armour and faster new engines. They were indeed a revolution in naval warfare. Being the most important ships in the fleet, these battleships and the later battlecruiser evolution were called capital ships.