Cutting weight without abandoning the battleship concept

The experimental battleship initially comes in roughly 6,000 tons overweight, making every design preference compete for the remaining displacement. The build reduces range, changes the barbette arrangement, adopts all-or-nothing armour, and relaxes bulkhead protection until the design fits. When a little capacity remains, it goes to four-inch secondary guns and small increases in deck and belt armour. The running total makes the cumulative cost of weapons, machinery, protection, and hull performance visible. A paper specification cannot carry every desirable feature.