Blücher against Britain's 9.2-inch cruiser proposals

How would SMS Blücher fare against the sixteen-gun 9.2-inch armoured cruisers Britain considered during the Invincible design process?

Blücher is judged unlikely to win, and Britain's larger industrial base could also support more ships. A 9.2-inch programme would make her look more viable without removing those disadvantages.

Blücher is judged unlikely to win against the British proposals for a 9.2-inch-gun armoured cruiser. The sixteen-gun proposal is distinguished from earlier ten-gun and twelve-gun layouts. The ten-gun version used five twin turrets in a Dreadnought-style arrangement. The twelve-gun version retained wing turrets and added superfiring forward guns, with recalled firing arcs of eight guns forward, six aft and a tentative ten-gun broadside. A British 9.2-inch programme might have made Blücher appear more viable for one generation. Britain could then have returned to 12-inch guns or moved directly to 13.5-inch guns, while also building more cruisers than the historical three Invincibles. Britain's larger industrial capacity would remain an advantage in producing the ships.