Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 37:02-43:52

A larger Royal Navy reshapes Washington

Extra Queen Elizabeths, Revenges, Admirals, and Hoods would force higher treaty tonnage or threaten the agreement altogether.

Admiral Class BattlecruisersCapital ShipsHMS HoodNaval Arms ControlNelson Class BattleshipsQueen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsRenown Class BattlecruisersRevenge Class BattleshipsRoyal NavyWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

How would a much larger British capital-ship fleet alter the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty?

Short answer

It would likely raise the permitted fleet to roughly twenty ships or prevent agreement, while encouraging more British 16-inch construction.

Notes

With six Queen Elizabeths, six Revenges, two Admirals, two Renowns, and two Hoods, Britain would enter the Washington talks with roughly 483,000 tons of modern heavy-gun shipping. That fleet would be too large to fit comfortably inside the historical settlement without much more British scrapping. The likely outcomes are no treaty or a higher twenty-ship framework for Britain and the United States. The historical building holiday would weaken, and Britain would still press for new 16-inch ships. A four-ship Nelson-style program or a faster, somewhat less protected design becomes plausible once the permitted fleet is larger.