HMS Rodney was the second of two Nelson-class battleships of the Royal Navy. These ships were the first battleships built after the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty. Rodney was laid down on 28 December 1922, launched on 17 December 1925, and commissioned on 10 November 1927. She was named after Admiral Sir George Bridges Rodney (1719–1792). Due to the treaty's restrictions, the battleships were largely compromises in design but were nevertheless considered among the most powerful in the world at the time of their commissioning. The ships earned numerous nicknames within the Royal Navy due to their distinctive appearance, such as the "Ugly Sisters" or "Pair of Boots".

During the interwar period, the battleship primarily conducted training cruises and participated in exercises. At the outbreak of WWII, she patrolled the North Sea as part of the Home Fleet. In November 1939, she encountered the battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst but failed to sink them. She encountered them again on 16 March 1940, but the Germans avoided combat. In May 1941, she participated in the famous hunt for the Bismarck, during which the German battleship was sunk. Subsequently, she underwent repairs in Boston, after which she joined Force H and continued serving in the Mediterranean. She participated in escorting convoys to Malta, landing troops in Algeria, and the landings on Sicily and Salerno. She then took part in Operation Overlord, during which she bombarded German positions in Caen and Alderney. In late 1944, Rodney arrived in Scapa Flow, where she remained for almost a year, serving as the formal flagship of the Home Fleet. In late 1945, she was transferred to Rosyth, where she remained until March 1948, when she was subsequently sold for scrap.

Introduced in Update 2.43 "Storm Warning" in her 1940 configuration, HMS Rodney possesses a devastating main battery, featuring a good HE shell with a large TNT filler, although the AP shells have rather mediocre penetration. She also has a powerful, though not very fast-firing, secondary battery and boasts decent protection. However, her main battery has a low rate of fire, her AA artillery is weak—her long-range AA lacks HE-VT shells and her close-range fire lacks velocity—and her speed and manoeuvrability prevent her from effectively fighting late battleships and battlecruisers.