Four Admiral-class battlecruisers would reshape treaty fleets

Drach's counterfactual completes Hood's three Admiral-class sisters before the Washington Naval Treaty. Discarding the older King George V battleships, and possibly Tiger, would release roughly enough tonnage to retain the additional Admirals. The United States might accept them in place of Nelson and Rodney if it assessed their combat power as comparable to the Colorados, and might complete Washington as a fourth Colorado in response. Britain could later reach an all-15-inch capital fleet with six battlecruisers, including four powerful Admirals. Having several such ships would also reduce the pressure to keep Hood constantly available as a prestige unit, creating more opportunities for refits. Admiralty Fire Control Table Mark I is suggested as a possible upgrade in place of the older Dreyer system. Extra fast capital ships could strengthen operations against German raiders and Italy, although the next exchange disputes whether the Admirals should count as fast battleships.