The Antarctican Navy had been caught out by the speed of the building of the Dreadnought. The Antarcticans had there first dreadnoughts under construction before the Dreadnought, but the Captain Shackleton completed a whole year after Dreadnought. The Dreadnought kept with the 12" gun, requiring ten guns to achieve an eight gun broadside. One of the benefits that the Commodore Peary class had provided was that it was possible to have superfiring turrets. The new Antarctican dreadnoughts would have four superfiring turrets two fore and two aft. But those turrets would still mount the 14"/L40 guns firing their 1250 pound shells. While these guns did not fire much further than the 12", when they hit the damage was much more considerable.



The new ships required a new layout, hull type and superstructure. Gunnery controllers were fitted from new for the first time. Submerged torpedoes were removed entirely. These ships would rely on their big guns.

Now that has turned out to be a powerful small battleship. Reminiscent of the Greek Salamis types. It does look a few years too modern. I would put it at 1913-15, but as this is AU and as I will use the same layout for the next two classes - I say 'So What!'..



The Captain Parry had had a hard war, and as it was excess to requirements by the Washington Treaty, the ship was put up for sale and bought by Greece. The Captain Shackleton was kept as a training ship with X/Y turrets aft being removed to satisfy Treaty requirements. The Shackleton was kept as a training ship through to 1932 when at age 25 it was scrap or to become an ADV. At this stage it was being found that any ship that could operate aircraft either on or from was much more useful than its gunned version.  The Shackleton was deemed too old to be converted to an aircraft carrier, so the next best thing would be as an Area Defence Vessel operating amphibians, floatplanes and as mothership to the big long ranged flying boats.

 

Displacement	22,800 tons standard, 26,750 tons full load
Length	562 ft
Breadth	88 ft
Draught	25 ft
Machinery	2 shaft, steam turbines, 40,000shp
Speed	23 knots
Range	7000 miles at 10 knots
Armour	11" side, 2" deck, 11"/7"/5" turrets
Armament	As completed 4 x 14" (2x2) 12 x 9.5" (6x2) 2 x 3" AA (2x1) added 1916 4 x 2pd AA (4x1) added 1917	As ADV 4 x 14" (2x2) 6 x 6" (6x1) 4 x 4" DP (2x2) 8 x 2pd (2x4) 10 x 20mm (10x1)
Complement	870-895 as Flagship
Notes	Captain Shackleton - converted to ADV 1934-35 Captain Parry - Converted to ADV 1935-36

The first long range flying boats based on the Shackleton were the Short Singapore III. These flying boats enabled Antarctica to patrol hundreds of miles out into the surrounding seas as early warning aircraft.