An earlier Soviet battleship design armed with nine 16-inch guns was ready by 1931. Dr. Clarke argues that an eight-year lead time could have produced at least two ships before the Second World War and perhaps allowed a third and fourth to begin. Fleet of Oceans replies that the project's artwork and settled premise already commit it to Sovetsky Soyuz. The exchange separates the chosen counterfactual from another proposed route to a Soviet battle line.
Notable Point · 7:47-8:52
An earlier battleship design offers a different Soviet divergence
An available early-1930s nine-gun battleship design might have given the Soviet Navy a larger completed battle line before the war.