Traces the development of Admiral Sir John Fisher's original idea into the first battlecruiser Invincible of 1908, through to the "Splendid Cats" of the Lion class, and culminating in the HMS Hood in 1918, the largest warship in the world for the next 20 years. Also covers the origins of the light battlecruisers which later found fame as aircraft carriers, as well as machinery, armament, armor, and important technical information.

Includes index.

Origins -- Design and construction 1905-14 -- Battlecruiser revival -- Perspective drawings -- Machinery -- Armament -- Armour -- Conclusion.