Could Queen Elizabeth Maximus eventually stabilize the race?

If Britain stopped after building Queen Elizabeth Maximus, could the resulting pause steady the Anglo-American arms race?

Possibly, but not predictably. An American 18-inch answer and a British construction pause might create a temporary balance, yet changing the scale of the competition could also change its political rules.

An American qualitative response might leave both sides satisfied for a time. Britain could retain its 16.5-inch ships while the United States claimed the larger gun, reducing the immediate need for another round. A leap this large could still transform a controlled design rivalry into a different kind of competition. Once a counterfactual decision changes incentives, later behavior cannot simply be copied from the historical timeline.