Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:41:04-2:42:48

What K3 would need to reach G3 speed

Raising K3 from about 30 to 33 knots would require both more machinery power and a longer, relatively narrower hull.

BattlecruisersG3 Class BattlecruisersHull FormK3 BattlecruiserMarine Engineering
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Question

How could a K3 battlecruiser be altered to match the G3's speed?

Short answer

Add roughly 36,000 shaft horsepower and lengthen the hull by perhaps five to ten metres while making it proportionally finer.

Notes

The desired G3 characteristic is interpreted here as a three-knot increase in K3's speed. G3 had roughly 180,000 shaft horsepower against K3's 144,000, suggesting about 36,000 additional shaft horsepower. Power alone would not be enough because the hull would also need lengthening and a proportionally finer beam to reduce resistance. The rough estimate of another five to ten metres of length ties the speed increase to machinery, hull form, and displacement.