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The launch of Dreadnought in 1906 prompted an arms race with major strategic consequences, as countries built their own dreadnoughts. In 1907, before the revolution in design brought about by HMS Dreadnought of 1906, the United Kingdom had 62 battleships in commission or building, a lead of 26 over France and 50 over the German Empire. This is a list of dreadnought battleships of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.
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HMS Dreadnought (1654) was a 52-gun third-rate ship of the line launched in 1654 as the Torrington for the Commonwealth of England Navy, renamed Dreadnought at the Restoration in 1660, and lost in 1690.English ship Dreadnought (1573) was a 41-gun ship launched in 1573, rebuilt in 15, then broken up in 1648.English ship Dreadnought (1553) was a 40-gun ship built in 1553.
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The 1906 ship, which revolutionized battleship design, became one of the Royal Navy's most famous vessels battleships built after her were referred to as ' dreadnoughts', and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts. Several ships and one submarine of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Dreadnought in the expectation that they would "dread nought", i.e.
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