Admiral-class ships with 16.5-inch guns

What ships might Britain build if its 16.5-inch gun were complete and tested in 1916?

The Admirals and likely the G3s would use it, leaving Britain with a commanding treaty position and room for further capital-ship construction.

The Admirals are the obvious first candidates for a tested heavy gun. Supporting a new weapon and the Royal Navy's tendency to build generous margins into first-generation installations could enlarge and strengthen the hulls into Tiger-like fast capital ships. One proposed Admiral version carries eight 16.5-inch guns and makes 32 knots. The resulting fleet is imagined in separate speed groups: older 15-inch battleships around 23 knots, G3-derived fast battleships around 28 knots, and the Admirals and Renowns around 32 knots. A mature gun would also accelerate G3 development and might turn that design into a fast battleship following an Admiral class built for the battlecruiser role. By 1922 Britain could therefore arrive at Washington with several 16.5-inch ships already in service alongside its 15-inch battle line. The treaty might accept 16.5- or 17-inch guns, a roughly 45,000-ton unit ceiling, and total tonnage equivalent to about twenty such ships. Because Britain's older ships were much lighter than that ceiling, the Royal Navy could retain substantial unused allowance while the United States and Japan had to build up, making a battleship construction holiday much less likely.