Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 29:51-30:31

What a no-treaty battlecruiser generation might have become

A plausible post-Lexington generation reaches roughly 45,000-50,000 tons with 16- or 18-inch guns, but its final form depends on mission continuity.

16-inch Guns18-inch GunsBattlecruisersCapital Ship DesignG3 Class BattlecruisersN3 Class BattleshipsWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Without naval treaties, would the next battlecruisers have grown to about 45,000-50,000 tons with 16- or 18-inch guns?

Short answer

Probably, but whether they became G3-fighters or enlarged Lexington-style scouts would depend on the mission the US Navy chose.

Notes

A thousand-foot, 45,000-to-50,000-ton next generation drawing on G3 and N3 precedents is broadly plausible. Such ships could carry nine 16-inch guns or a smaller battery of 18-inch weapons. American ships might be built specifically to fight the G3, or they might continue the reconnaissance and fleet-enabling mission assigned to Lexington. Mission choice, rather than size alone, would determine their protection and balance.