HMS Valiant was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy, constructed at Devonport Royal Dockyard between January and November 1914. She measured overall 639 feet 9 inches (195 meters) in length, with a beam of 90 feet 7 inches (27.6 meters) and a deep draught of 33 feet (10.1 meters). Her standard displacement was approximately 32,590 long tons, increasing to around 33,260 long tons at deep load. Powered by two Brown-Curtis steam turbines driving four shafts and steam from 24 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, Valiant was rated at 75,000 shaft horsepower, aiming for a maximum speed of 25 knots, though post-rebuild her speed was reduced to about 23.5 knots due to increased displacement. Her armament configuration featured eight 15-inch (381 mm) Mk I guns in four twin turrets, arranged in superfiring pairs fore and aft. She also carried twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in casemates along her broadside and two quick-firing 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft guns. Additionally, she was equipped with four submerged 21-inch torpedo tubes. Her armor protection included a 13-inch (330 mm) waterline belt of Krupp cemented steel, with gun turrets protected by 11 to 13 inches of armor, and main conning tower with 13 inches of armor. Valiant was commissioned in February 1916 and participated prominently in the Battle of Jutland, where she engaged German ships and sustained no damage, making her the only British vessel at the battle to remain unscathed. During WWI, she also took part in routine patrols and the Action of 19 August. In the interwar years, she served with the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets, and was involved in the Invergordon Mutiny of 1931. Rebuilt extensively between 1937 and 1939, her machinery was upgraded with new boilers and turbines, and her armament was modernized to include dual-purpose 4.5-inch guns and multiple anti-aircraft mounts. During WWII, HMS Valiant saw action in the Mediterranean, notably at Mers-el-Kébir and Cape Matapan, and participated in operations against Italian and Japanese forces. She was involved in the attack on Vichy French ships at Mers-el-Kébir, and during an Italian raid in Alexandria, sustained damage from limpet mines. Later, she was damaged in an accident involving a floating drydock at Trincomalee, Ceylon. Decommissioned in 1945, Valiant served primarily as a training ship before being sold for scrap in 1948. Her service history highlights her as a significant fleet unit, notable for her participation in major naval battles and her adaptability through extensive refits across two world wars.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.