Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:50:32-2:51:21

The N3 might reset the dreadnought label instead of becoming a super-super-dreadnought

An N3 entering service could be presented as a new Dreadnought class, giving newspapers a cleaner generational label than another layer of the super-dreadnought formula.

DreadnoughtsN3 Class BattleshipsNaval TerminologyRoyal NavyWarship Design
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Question

Would the N3 class be called super-dreadnoughts if it had been built?

Short answer

Possibly not; the class might instead be called a new Dreadnought and reset the public label for the next generation.

Notes

Public terminology would be unlikely to keep adding superlatives to the existing dreadnought label. A completed N3 represented enough of a new scale and arrangement to invite a fresh name. The Royal Navy might call the class Dreadnought and let it establish another generational benchmark. Newspaper language tends to settle on the shortest and most memorable description rather than the most technical one.