A closing counterfactual asks whether Jackie Fisher's battlecruisers might have developed as a distinct category if they had been called frigates. Without the word battle in the name, treaty negotiators might have separated them from battleships. Limits could then have applied independently to battleships, frigates, and aircraft carriers. The idea remains speculative, but it shows how classification can shape the categories used to regulate fleets.
Notable Point · 35:41-36:39
What if battlecruisers had been classified as frigates?
Calling Fisher's battlecruisers frigates might have placed them in a treaty category separate from battleships.