The planned American South Dakota class would have carried twelve 16-inch guns. Set beside a British 18-inch-gun battleship concept, it shows how far capital-ship design competition could advance after World War I. Some historians describe an Anglo-American naval race that the treaty system later resolved, but the rivalry was never solely a contest in hull numbers. The two concepts expose the longer technological competition behind the postwar programmes.
Notable Point · 19:18-20:18
Postwar capital ships extended the technology race
The planned South Dakota class and a British 18-inch-gun concept show that Anglo-American competition centred on design capability as well as fleet totals.