HMS Renown was the lead ship of the two 26,500-ton Renown class battlecruisers of the British Royal Navy, the other being HMS Repulse. Both ships were originally to be built as Revenge class battleships along with a third ship named HMS Resistance, but the orders were suspended after the First World War broke out. A few months later First Sea Lord Jackie Fisher used his influence to have Renown and Repulse restarted to a new design as battlecruisers.After a decade of further service, Renown was again reconstructed, greatly changing her appearance (receiving a tower bridge similar to HMS Valiant) and giving her a modern anti-aircraft gun battery, much enhanced aircraft-handling facilities, and up-to-date gunfire controls including the HACS MkIV AA fire control system and the Admiralty Fire Control Table Mk VII for surface fire control of the main armament, as well as working in additional armour. This work was completed in September 1939, just after the outbreak of the Second World War. During this work she picked up the nickname HMS Refit (the ship had first been nicknamed HMS Refit as early as 1916, due to the hurried addition of extra armour in response to the defensive weaknesses of battlecruisers revealed by losses at Jutland; her sister-ship Repulse had similarly been nicknamed HMS Repair ).Renown’s high speed made her a valuable asset during the Second World War.
Scale 1:700 Length 345mm
