Under the enlarged treaty allowance, Britain could build ten 40,000-ton battleships during the 1920s while retaining its older ships. The working example is a succession of F3-style ships with 16-inch guns, delivered by keeping pairs under construction through the decade. If these ships reached 28 knots, Queen Elizabeth-class refits might aim at the same speed so the older ships could operate alongside them. One possible 1939 fleet therefore includes fifteen fast battleships, three battlecruisers, and five R-class battleships. These conditional estimates would leave many more British capital ships available in different places at once.
Notable Point · 2:18:20-2:20:53
Ten fast battleships under a larger treaty allowance
A hypothetical 800,000-ton British allowance could support ten new fast battleships while retaining older capital ships.