Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 59:46-1:01:34

An F3-style heavy cruiser makes the carrier trade harder

A 10,000-ton cruiser with nine forward 8-inch guns would offer far more value than the York class and could justify trading two Illustrious carriers for eight such ships.

Cruiser DesignF3 BattlecruiserHeavy CruisersNaval ProcurementRoyal Navy
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Question

What if the York class had been a 10,000-ton F3-style cruiser with nine 8-inch guns forward?

Short answer

It would be a much stronger design, and eight of them could be worth more to the Royal Navy than two additional Illustrious-class carriers.

Notes

Concentrating three triple 8-inch turrets forward would shorten the armored citadel and leave room for useful secondary guns, speed, and protection on a treaty-cruiser hull. This concept is far stronger than the underarmed York class. Eight capable heavy cruisers would reinforce the Royal Navy against both Italy and Japan across multiple stations. That fleet-wide utility makes the exchange for two Illustrious-class carriers genuinely competitive rather than an easy rejection.