A fast-battleship designer has more freedom than one working to a battlecruiser requirement. A fast battleship can surrender some armour for speed or accept less speed when protection is increased while remaining recognisably within its intended role. A battlecruiser intended for a specific future commerce-war mission has a narrower balance to maintain among reach, speed, armour, and firepower. That makes repeated Admiral-class redesign more understandable and helps explain why a counterfactual fast-battleship programme might reach stable designs and multiple completions sooner.
Notable Point · 2:09:23-2:10:09
A fast battleship is easier to balance than a battlecruiser
Starting from a battleship requirement lets designers exchange armour and speed more directly than a battlecruiser mission that must preserve a narrower operational balance.