Under the 1914-1915 Building Program, the HMS Renown was to be an improved R Class battleship. However, with the fresh successes of the Battle of Heligoland Bight and the Falkland Islands as examples, Jackie Fisher felt fully vindicated in his promotion of the battlecruiser. Renown and sistership, Repulse would be constructed as battlecruisers, rather than battleships. The original design called for four 15"-Inch guns and a speed of 32 knots. These features are found later in Glorious and Courageous, which followed Fisher's ideals for a battlecruiser, even thought they were ordered as "Large Light Cruisers" in order to deceive the politicians as to their true nature. 

On December 19, 1914 the Director of Naval Construction (DNC) was ordered to proceed with the new battlecruiser design, although the design was immediately modified to include a third twin 15-Ich gun turret. On March 4, 1916 Renown was launched two months after Repulse. As a result of the catastrophic loss of battlecruisers at Jutland, the pair were given more armor, which lowered the maximum speed. From May 1923 until August 1926 Renown received a refit that substantially improved her armor protection. Belt armor was increased from six inches to nine inches, an additional two inches of deck armor added and bulges added. 

In 1936 Renown was selected to receive a total refit, that amounted to a rebuilding of the ship. When it was through in 1939, Renown was a new ship. She received the tower bridge found in the KGV Class and the rebuilds of Warspite, Valiant and Queen Elizabeth. After strenuous use in six years of war, the Renown was still used by the Royal Navy as an accommodation ship. She was sold for scrapping in July 1948.

The H-P Models 1:700 scale model of HMS Renown depicts her after her 1939 refit. For some unknown reason the box top shows a painting of Repulse or Renown pre-refit.

Hull Casting

Smaller Castings

Box Top and Instructions

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