Q&A · 3:18:40-3:23:49

More Jutland losses could produce true fast battleships

A stronger rejection of battlecruiser protection would cancel the Admirals early and replace them with slower, more thoroughly subdivided fast battleships.

Question

How would additional British battlecruiser losses at Jutland change construction before the Washington treaty?

Short answer

The Admiral class would likely be cancelled and replaced by purpose-designed fast battleships with better subdivision, more complete armor coverage, and lower speed.

Notes

Armor thickness differs from armor coverage and internal subdivision: changing a lightly protected battlecruiser into a fast battleship requires rearranging machinery, piping, magazines, and structural divisions. That makes a deep conversion of the Admiral-class design uneconomic. Starting again could yield 28- to 30-knot ships with denser protection and perhaps twelve 15-inch guns. A purpose-built design could also reach completion before the Washington treaty because its requirements would no longer churn after Jutland.