Continuous construction could replace Britain's old battle fleet

Could Britain replace the R class, Queen Elizabeths, Renowns, and Hood in only eight years?

Yes, if it sustained four-ship construction cycles; the resulting 16-inch fleet would also force rival designs upward.

Hood and the battlecruisers might still merit modernization. Britain nevertheless possessed enough yard capacity to build four capital ships in parallel on roughly two-year cycles. Sustaining that tempo could replace sixteen older hulls over eight years. A new British fleet armed with 16-inch guns would also raise the design standard confronting Germany, Italy, and Japan.