Nelson's treaty margin and the Lexington comparison

Nelson's standard displacement stayed below the 35,000-ton maximum. The Lexington comparison shows how quickly several thousand extra tons could become additional capability. A hypothetical 38,000-ton F3 might have approached 30 knots, carried a heavier belt for more of its length, and divided its machinery spaces more thoroughly. That thought experiment separates Nelson's use of uncounted water from the simpler expedient of making the ship heavier. Fair comparisons of treaty warships therefore need both the written measurement rules and the ships' actual displacement choices.