Why a larger cruiser limit may not yield ships sooner

Would raising the heavy-cruiser limit by several thousand tons improve construction?

It might improve the ship, but a wholly new 16,000-ton design could delay delivery compared with continuing an established class.

Permitting a larger cruiser does not guarantee rapid delivery because an all-new design requires fresh calculations and detailed design work. Yards may need modification or the ship may have to move to a different builder, while suppliers and workers lose the efficiency gained from repeating an established class. The evolutionary relationship between the King George V and Lion designs shows why navies preserve machinery, layouts, and production methods when speed matters. A more generous treaty limit can therefore improve the theoretical ship while delaying the fleet that actually reaches service.