Q&A · 2:10:35-2:15:19

Argentine battleships with heavy secondaries

A heavily armed Argentine battleship would not exist in isolation: Britain and other naval powers would build countervailing ships.

Question

What would Britain do if Argentina built battleships with 12 15-inch guns and heavy 9.2-inch secondaries?

Short answer

Britain would build more powerful counterweights; the heavy secondary battery is not treated as a decisive advantage.

Notes

The proposed heavy secondary battery is treated as a poor choice beyond the semi-dreadnought era. Its 9.2-inch guns add machinery, magazine, and topweight burdens without solving long-range battleship combat. A world able to fund such Argentine ships would also invite more powerful British and American responses. The counterfactual therefore creates an arms race rather than an Argentine ship that remains uniquely dominant.