Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 26:55-27:59

How the Royal Navy might have answered the Mackensen class

A third Renown is presented as the likely short-term response if Germany's Mackensen-class battlecruisers had become an immediate threat.

Admiral Class BattlecruisersBattlecruisersMackensen Class BattlecruisersRenown Class BattlecruisersRoyal Navy
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Question

Would Britain have built more Renown-class battlecruisers as a quick response to the Mackensen class?

Short answer

Probably only if the Mackensens appeared likely to enter service; a modified third Renown could bridge the gap before the Admiral class.

Notes

Britain did not yet regard the unfinished Mackensens as an urgent operational danger. Intelligence about their progress allowed the Royal Navy to consider adjustments to the Admiral-class programme. If German completion had become credible, a third Renown could have provided an earlier response. Acceleration of the Admiral-class ships would then offer a later answer. The assessment cautions that some accounts overstate British anxiety about the Mackensens.