This class of three ships was the second design of the new brand of all-big-gun battleships that was soon to bear the name of their predecessor, the groundbreaking HMS Dreadnought. Improved internal construction and protection, a heavier anti-torpedo boat armament of 4" guns and an increased overall size made them more sturdy than the Dreadnought at the same speed, although some compromises had to be made in terms of armour protection and coal bunkerage. All of them were commissioned in 1909.