Q&A · 4:12:45-4:13:41

Fisher's battlecruisers and Admiral-class carrier conversions

A larger battlecruiser inheritance could favour Admiral-class carrier conversions without eliminating a later KGV-type battleship.

Question

Would Fisher's preferred battlecruiser programme lead Britain to skip the KGV class and mass-produce Ark Royals?

Short answer

Probably not; Britain would still build a KGV-type class, while the different inheritance could favour Admiral-class carrier conversions.

Notes

The scenario gives Fisher a battlecruiser each year instead of the R class and uses an F3-type design for the Nelson generation. Britain would still build some form of King George V class because treaty and fleet requirements would not disappear. If the agreements allowed it, the Royal Navy would also want two or three large Ark Royal-type carriers. A stronger battlecruiser lineage would make conversion of Admiral-class hulls more credible than relying on Courageous and Glorious. The resulting fleet would still combine battleships, battlecruisers, and purpose-built carriers.