More powerful engines allow heavier, more densely protected ships to attain higher speeds. The comparison between battleships and battlecruisers therefore moves as machinery develops. G3 is placed on the battlecruiser side by comparison with the contemporary N3 battleship design, rather than by comparison with older ships. Treaty limits further complicate the relationship between size, protection, and speed. The proposed spectrum has dreadnought battleships, fast battleships, and two forms of battlecruiser, with blurred boundaries between them. Applied to the new American proposal, that approach suggests a cruiser performing a battleship's lethality role, pending fuller specifications.
Notable Point · 13:01-14:33
Why machinery changes the battleship and battlecruiser spectrum
G3 and N3 illustrate why a design's contemporary machinery and protection matter when deciding where it falls between battleship and battlecruiser.