A 9.2-inch cruiser program sent back to 1915

What happens if plans for a large all-forward 9.2-inch cruiser are taken back before the Washington treaty system?

Build it in 1915 as a heavily armed armored-cruiser successor, creating both wartime overmatch and a difficult treaty precedent.

Taking the cruiser plans back to 1915 gives time to build them before the Washington treaty negotiations. The proposed ship grows to roughly 20,000 tons with fifteen 9.2-inch guns. Three triple turrets sit forward and two aft, replacing the original all-forward arrangement. A class of about twelve could enter service during 1917 or 1918 and give Britain a powerful wartime cruiser force. Existing ships of that size would then complicate attempts to impose a 10,000-ton individual cruiser limit. The design revives the heavily armed armoured-cruiser concept in a new form.