What might the Royal Navy build if Hood were abandoned in exchange for a larger Washington Treaty tonnage allowance?
Short answerIt could replace older ships with roughly eight Nelson-type battleships, producing a much larger and more standardized heavy-gun fleet.
NotesThe scenario raises Britain's permitted capital-ship tonnage and asks what happens if Hood is not completed. Tiger is unlikely to receive 15-inch guns because the larger ammunition and machinery make that conversion far more intrusive than a move to 14-inch weapons. Once the older 13.5-inch ships are discarded, the available tonnage could support eight Nelson-type ships alongside the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge classes and Renown and Repulse. That creates a radically different battle line built around many 15- and 16-inch-gun ships. Treaty accounting could drive class standardization and fleet composition more decisively than the merits of any single famous hull.