Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:29:59-1:32:56

Designing an R-class counterpart to the Iowa class

The Queen Elizabeth-to-R-class relationship translates into a slower, better-protected American standard battleship.

Battleship DesignIowa Class BattleshipsLive Q&AQueen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsRevenge Class BattleshipsSouth Dakota Class Battleships (1939)
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Question

What would an Iowa-era equivalent of the cheaper R class look like?

Short answer

It would keep Iowa's guns but fall to about 28 knots, use a shorter hull, and emphasize subdivision and protection over high speed.

Notes

The question uses the R class as a cheaper counterpart to Queen Elizabeth and asks for the same relationship to Iowa. North Carolina and South Dakota are offered as partial comparisons, with the panel criticizing the compromises imposed by South Dakota's cramped arrangement. The new proposal keeps Iowa's guns while reducing speed to about 28 knots. It would shorten the elongated hull and favor subdivision and protection over the high-speed form. The result is conceived as a standard battle-line ship, and remains an outline counterfactual rather than a worked design.