Lion turns Orion firepower into battlecruiser speed

Lion adapts the Orion concept into a battlecruiser. Removing one superfiring turret creates machinery space for 42 Yarrow boilers and 70,000 shaft horsepower, raising speed to 27.5 knots. The remaining eight 13.5-inch guns still give a full eight-gun broadside. That combination directly counters German tactical plans in which German battlecruisers would use speed to turn the British line. A faster British ship with heavier guns makes that maneuver harder and connects battlecruiser design with fleet tactics as well as scouting.