A fast battleship compromised by its center turret

The G3 was a fast battleship in capability, with enough space and speed to remain formidable after modernization. Its 160,000-shaft-horsepower machinery and protection made it far more than a lightly armored battlecruiser. Its lineage is closer to an evolved Queen Elizabeth than an enlarged Hood because the design absorbed the experience of Britain's most successful wartime battleship class. The central flaw was the turret trapped between the forward and aft parts of the ship, where blast and structure constrained its usefulness. Moving the superstructure forward and the third turret aft would produce a more balanced ship without discarding the design's strongest qualities. That rearrangement would also require moving boilers and turbines with the funnels, because long steam runs would waste pressure and internal space.