Nelson and Rodney were the only new capital ships built during the first Washington period and sat roughly 1,500 tons below the formal limit. They still mounted nine 16-inch guns in an all-forward arrangement, concentrating their battery to shorten the armored citadel. Part of the apparent displacement margin depended on liquid-filled protection spaces whose treaty treatment became a dispute over whether water counted as armor. The all-forward concept receives a favorable assessment, while the raised B turret over C arrangement does not, separating the layout's strategic economy from its specific geometry.
Chapter · 2:55:27-2:56:31
Nelson and Rodney stayed below the treaty ceiling yet used water as protection
Britain's only new Washington-era battleships displaced about 33,500 tons but used liquid-filled protection spaces in a disputed reading of treaty weight.