Norway's Tordenskjold class carried 8.3-inch guns, a substantial secondary battery, torpedoes, and Harvey armor in a compact hull. The larger lesson is operational: because a cruiser could not safely dispose of such a ship, an attacker had to attach battleships to each possible invasion group or concentrate against a defended squadron. That requirement multiplied the fleet, escort, and political costs of coercing a medium power even if the great power would ultimately win.
Chapter · 2:04:46-2:13:17
Norway's Tordenskjold class and cost-imposing deterrence
The Tordenskjold class demonstrates how a medium navy could force an attacker to deploy battleships and escorts instead of a cheap cruiser force.