What wider effects would follow if Australia replaced its battlecruiser with a larger treaty-era ship?
Short answerThe ship could threaten the Deutschlands, keep HMS Tiger in service for modernization, and draw stronger British battlecruiser support toward the Dominions.
NotesThe proposed treaty-era replacement would be a formidable ship and a serious hunter of the Deutschland-class armored ships. Its existence could encourage Britain to retain and modernize HMS Tiger, possibly with 14-inch guns, rather than preserve one of the Iron Duke-class battleships. Britain might also assign stronger battlecruiser support to Australia and New Zealand, allowing one Dominion purchase to cascade through treaty choices and imperial deployment.