How would naval technology develop without the First World War?

How might naval technology change if the First World War were replaced by a series of smaller wars?

Capital ships would probably grow larger and more numerous, while carrier aviation could mature earlier through repeated limited conflicts.

Without the First World War, construction would probably continue toward 16-inch and perhaps 18-inch battleships, more Hood-class battlecruisers, and larger American and Japanese programs. Britain would avoid much of the war's economic damage and could sustain a stronger building program. Repeated colonial conflicts might also accelerate aircraft-carrier experience and encourage a more integrated Dominion and Commonwealth defense structure. The counterfactual combines greater capital-ship growth with earlier carrier learning.