Q&A ยท 4:32:42-4:33:26

Canada buying Admiral-class battlecruisers after World War I

An immediate Canadian order for two unchanged Admiral-class ships is tested against construction time before the Washington treaty.

Question

What if postwar Canada bought two Admiral-class battlecruisers?

Short answer

They could enter service before Washington and would complicate how the treaty system counted imperial capital ships.

Notes

Two Admiral-class battlecruisers ordered immediately after the First World War could, in this scenario, reach Canadian service before the Washington treaty. The timing depends on accepting the existing design without changes. Completion before 1920 is considered possible, and entry into service before 1922 is expected on that assumption. Their presence would complicate the treaty negotiations, although no precise tonnage settlement is worked out.