Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:23:30-2:25:51

Britain's answer to 28-knot German battleships

Germany retaining 11-inch guns but building fast ships would push Britain toward faster hulls while its gun caliber continued rising for wider strategic reasons.

Anglo German Naval Arms RaceFast BattleshipsNaval GunsQueen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsWarship Design
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Question

How would Britain respond if Germany built 28-knot ships with triple 11-inch turrets in the 1910s?

Short answer

Britain would accelerate fast battleship development and could adopt triple 15-inch turrets, while its caliber choices continued to reflect American and Japanese competition.

Notes

The quantitative Anglo-German race was separate from the qualitative pressure created by American and Japanese construction. Britain could answer German speed with wider, faster ships and might adopt triple turrets when moving from five mounts to four. The result could be a 28-knot Queen Elizabeth-type design with twelve 15-inch guns rather than a reduction in broadside. The counterfactual shows how speed requirements can reshape hull breadth, machinery space, and turret choice together.