Britain can discard older 13.5-inch-gun ships while retaining the Queen Elizabeths, Revenges, Hood, and possibly Tiger within a 600,000-ton allowance. That leaves room for five roughly 38,000-ton F3-like fast battleships or a mixed program of battleships and a new battlecruiser. More displacement could produce F3-like ships with Nelson-level protection and a speed of roughly 30 knots. The detailed gun choice remains political as well as technical, because Britain wants visible 16-inch parity even if a 15-inch/50 weapon might offer similar practical performance. Choosing the 15-inch/50 for a battlecruiser could also create a retrofit path for Hood, Renown, the Queen Elizabeths, and the Revenge class.
Chapter · 1:33:31-1:51:28
Britain can build a squadron of F3-like fast battleships
A 600,000-ton allowance gives Britain several paths to five or six new capital ships without sacrificing its 15-inch battle line.