Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:19:16-2:19:34

What supercruisers could add to the Royal Navy

A British supercruiser would provide a useful answer to the varied large-cruiser and raider threats fielded by Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Commerce RaidingDeutschland Class CruisersRoyal NavySuper CruisersWarship Design
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Question

Would the Royal Navy benefit from supercruisers if it were allowed to build them?

Short answer

Yes; they would be useful against Deutschland-class raiders and the varied large-cruiser threats fielded by other navies.

Notes

The Royal Navy would benefit if treaty or political limits allowed it to build supercruisers. A ship of that scale would be useful against Deutschland-class raiders and the disparate large combatants developed by Germany, Italy, and Japan. Enough ships would be needed to cover several distinct threats rather than prepare for one perfect duel. The operational case rests on fleet coverage and opponent diversity as well as the qualities of the individual design.