 The King George V @-@ class ships had been built with almost no sheer to the main deck forwards to allow ' A ' turret to fire straight forward at zero elevation , resulting in a poor sea boat that took a lot of water over the bow . Vanguard 's bow was redesigned as a result of experience with the King George Vs , and a large amount of sheer and flare was applied to the bow . The ship was well regarded as seaworthy , able to keep an even keel in rough seas . At full load , Vanguard had a metacentric height of 8 @.@ 2 feet ( 2 @.@ 5 m ) . 
