Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:08:23-1:09:22

An interwar naval race would reward quality over numbers

Without effective naval treaties, Britain would still answer American and Japanese battleship construction, but the contest would likely emphasize the largest and best ships rather than German-style numerical parity.

BattleshipsG3 Class BattlecruisersInterwar PeriodN3 Class BattleshipsNaval ProcurementNaval TreatiesRoyal Navy
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Question

Would postwar conditions have prevented Britain from joining another battleship race if naval treaties failed?

Short answer

No. Britain would build if the United States and Japan did, but the race would probably emphasize ship quality and size rather than the numerical rivalry seen against Germany.

Notes

Britain would continue building battleships if other powers did so. The Anglo-German contest before World War I was an explicitly numerical competition. A 1920s race with the United States and Japan is expected to concentrate more on technology and the size and quality of individual ships. In that counterfactual, Britain would probably build four G3 battlecruisers and four N3 battleships.