What kind of alternate-history question is least useful to answer?
Short answerQuestions that change one ship or specification while leaving every surrounding institution untouched are weak; credible counterfactuals must trace effects through budgets, personnel, industry, doctrine, and rivals.
NotesThe problem is a counterfactual that moves one lever while freezing every connected cog. Historical narratives often say one class caused another, but ship designs also reflect budgets, army-navy competition, industrial capacity, and political priorities. Germany could not match Queen Elizabeth-class speed and power despite having the technical capability because securing the money required a much larger change to the German state and high command.