Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:38:05-3:38:52

Why the G3 programme did not preclude cruisers

The Royal Navy could build G3 battlecruisers and cruisers together; the Hawkins class and further cruiser studies were already proceeding alongside the capital-ship programme.

CruisersG3 Class BattlecruisersHawkins Class Heavy CruisersNaval FinanceNaval ProcurementRoyal Navy
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Question

Would building the G3 class prevent the Royal Navy from constructing cruisers?

Short answer

No. Britain was already building Hawkins-class cruisers and studying follow-on designs while the G3 programme was active.

Notes

G3 construction did not force a choice between capital ships and cruisers. British defence expenditure and yard capacity supported concurrent programmes. Hawkins-class ships were already underway, and 9.2-inch cruiser concepts remained under consideration. Political allocation within a large budget set the pace. Britain did not face a physical inability to build both categories.