A full 35,000-ton Nelson could trade weight for 28 knots

Could a full 35,000-ton Nelson design reach 28 knots, especially with two quadruple 16-inch turrets?

Probably yes: the unused treaty displacement could support another shaft and more machinery, though two quadruple turrets would make a single turret casualty cost half the main battery.

Using the full 35,000-ton treaty allowance could release about 1,800 tons for Nelson's machinery. A third shaft with the necessary turbines and boilers is proposed as enough to make 28 knots plausible while retaining the three triple turrets. Two quadruple 16-inch mountings would free more weight if the arrangement could be made to work. It would also concentrate half the main battery in each turret, a damage risk the Royal Navy would dislike.