HMS Rodney (29)

HMS Rodney. Mediterranean, 1942.

HMS Rodney (pennant number 29) was one of two Nelson-class battleships built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1920s. The ship was named after Admiral Lord Rodney. The Nelsons were unique in British battleship construction, being the only ships to carry a main armament of 16-inch (406 mm) guns, and the only ones to carry all the main armament forward of the superstructure. As her superstructure was located aft of midships like RN fleet oilers whose names carried the ...'ol' suffix, she was sometimes derisively referred to as "Rodnol". Commissioned in 1927, Rodney served extensively in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean during the Second World War.

HMS Rodney at Devonport, 1934: she and her sister Nelson were crudely cut down versions of a larger design in order to comply with the Washington Treaty, losing their stern turrets (and considerable engine power) as a result. Together with HMS King George V, Rodney was one of the final conquerors of Bismarck in May 1941.

Rodney played a major role in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941. During and after Operation Torch and the Normandy landings, Rodney participated in several coastal bombardments. In poor condition from extremely heavy use and lack of refits, she was scrapped in 1948.

Rodney firing on Bismarck, which can be seen burning in the distance