Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:22:49-1:23:19

Four Admiral-class battlecruisers would raise treaty limits

Completing all four Admiral-class ships makes a 35,000-ton treaty ceiling difficult to defend and strengthens Britain's demand for 16-inch-gunned ships.

Admiral Class BattlecruisersBattlecruisersNaval TreatiesRoyal NavyWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

What if the Royal Navy completed all four Admiral-class battlecruisers?

Short answer

Their existence would likely push treaty limits toward 45,000 tons and make Washington negotiations substantially harder.

Notes

Four operational 45,000-ton battlecruisers would be much harder for negotiators to treat as an exception than the single HMS Hood. A Washington settlement would therefore be pushed toward a higher tonnage ceiling while Britain still sought modern 16-inch-gunned capital ships. The result would complicate American efforts to contain the postwar capital-ship race.