Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:53:42-2:54:12

The N3 sacrificed machinery space to its 18-inch battery

The N3's limited speed is explained through the internal volume consumed by larger guns and their ammunition rather than a simple refusal to install better boilers.

BattleshipsG3 Class BattlecruisersN3 Class BattleshipsNaval GunneryNaval PropulsionShip Design
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Question

Could the N3 design exceed 23 knots by adopting small-tube boilers?

Short answer

It already had them; the limiting problem was that the 18-inch battery and ammunition displaced machinery space compared with the G3.

Notes

The N3 already used small-tube boilers, so changing boiler type would not remove the central constraint. The design had to fit 18-inch guns and their ammunition into a hull related to the faster G3, whose 16-inch battery required less volume. That additional weapons burden reduced the space available for machinery. More speed would therefore demand a larger or substantially rearranged ship, not a minor boiler substitution.