Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:44:09-2:47:29

A treaty-compliant redesign of the Nagato class

A restrained Nagato redesign would replace casemate guns with dual-purpose weapons and rationalize turret levels, though Japan had little incentive to remain strictly treaty-compliant.

Battleship DesignDual Purpose GunsNagato Class BattleshipsNaval ArchitectureWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

How would you redesign the Nagato class while keeping it treaty-compliant?

Short answer

Remove the casemate battery for turreted dual-purpose guns and place corresponding main turrets at matching heights where clearances allow.

Notes

The historical ship carried four twin 16-inch turrets and substantial armor, so a treaty-compliant redesign would concentrate on arrangement rather than wholesale reconstruction. Casemate weapons would give way to more useful anti-aircraft and dual-purpose mounts. The main turrets could be set at matching forward and after levels where clearances allowed. From Japan's strategic position, openly breaking the treaty might have offered more value than forcing an ideal redesign into the limit.