Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:52:36-2:53:24

Why extra battlecruisers need not replace the prewar battleship batches

The German naval race still drives the battleship program, so the historical classes largely survive alongside the added battlecruisers.

BattlecruisersGermanyIron Duke Class BattleshipsKing George V Class Battleships (1911)Naval Arms RaceNaval ProcurementOrion Class BattleshipsShipbuilding
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Question

Would the extra battlecruisers change the Orion, King George V, and Iron Duke battleship programs?

Short answer

Only slightly; the historical battleship classes still appear, with a possible fifth ship in some batches, because the German race continues to set battleship demand.

Notes

The historical battleship sequence remains because competition with Germany continues to define that requirement. The Orion class might gain a fifth member, and the King George V and Iron Duke batches could conceivably rise from four ships to five. Those are marginal changes rather than replacements for the extra trade-protection battlecruisers.