How it has changed from the wide transverse bridge of the pre-"Dreadnoughts" to the high Pyramidal Structure of today (The Sphere Jul 19, 1913)

The naval bridge, like the vessel which carries it, has undergone remarkable changes within the last few years, and the pictures clearly indicate the nature of these changes when the bridge of the "Majestic," the oldest type illustrated, is compared with the narrow lofty tier-upon-tier structure of the battle-cruiser, "Lion." The reason of the change is alone known to the powers of the Admiralty, but very probably the chief cause is the advent of the all-big-gun artillery. Whether the guns be on the centre line or en echelon each must have an arc of fire as great as possible ; nothing must be in the way of their marksmen. The navigation bridge of a battleship is looked upon by naval architects as a necessary evil, for in time of war it would be instantly shot away. While the wide structures shown in the pictures of the "Majestic" and "Terrible" gave leg room for the navigation officer, the present narrow little platform piled up around the fore funnel will hardly give room for the men on duty to turn. When the ship is steaming in a following wind the bridge is swept by hot gases and noxious fumes from the funnel mouth a very few yards above the heads of the officers. But in a battleship a man's comfort is of secondary consideration : the ship is built to fight, and everything must give place to this. In several cases a high-flying bridge has been added which is carried out over the roof of the conning tower. Class by class the ships' bridges undergo as great a change in design as the ships themselves.

1. The after bridge of the battleship Majestic
2. The high-flying bridge of the Agamemnon
3. The fore and after bridges of the Lord Nelson
4. The wide transverse bridge of the Terrible
5. The bridge of the Dreadnought
6. The Lofty bridge of the Lion
7. The peculiar bridge of the Inflexible
8. The bridge of the Thunderer (Cockney Dreadnought)
9. The Bridge of the Indomitable
10. The bridge and superstructure of the Neptune
11. The bridge of the latest type Super Dreadnought - King George V
12. The big flying bridge of the Monarch
13. The bridge of the New Zealand
14. The after bridge of the Indefatigable
15. The Conqueror's bridge and Conning tower.

With many thanks to Bev Edmonds for making the source material available - termites permitting ;-)