` ::::I wonder how extensive an explanation of the factors influencing the date of a shakedown cruise is justified, considering that the cruise occurred 60 years ago? ::::More importantly, I don't think it suffices to say the Vanguard was scrapped because she was obsolete, or to say than she was the last British battleship without saying how much time passed between the scrapping of the penultimate battleship and Vanguard. ::::I don't have access to the references in the article, but the external link ``HMS Vanguard: A short history of Britain’s last battleship`` seems to indicate she survived her sisters by about 10 years. Also, that source indicates the main factor in keeping her so much longer was the prestige factor. ::::Personally, I'm inclined to think that even into the early 1960s, aircraft were considerably less effective at night and in poor weather, compared to today. Diesel subs couldn't keep up with capital ships. So battleships still had a role in surface naval warfare in poor weather or at night. But with the rapid improvement in aircraft sensors and fast nuclear subs, by 1960, it must have seemed that battleships would soon be relegated to shore bombardment. Of course, I can't go around sticking personal opinion into articles, so a reliable source would be needed to find why the Royal Navy considered Vanguard obsolete. ::::Obsolete could have an entirely different meaning; it could be that the various systems on Vanguard were incompatible with the rest of the Royal Navy and it would cost too much to upgrade them.   `