Six Nelsons under a twenty-capital-ship treaty

What treaty settlement would let the Royal Navy build six Nelson-class battleships, and what would those ships look like?

A twenty-capital-ship limit could produce six 28-knot, nine-gun Nelsons and a much larger interwar carrier and battleship system.

The six-ship program depends on replacing the historical settlement with a twenty-capital-ship ceiling. Building a class of six permits a 28-knot design because the Royal Navy can trade some individual protection for fleet-wide mobility and depth. An F3-like layout is suggested for a more favorable length-to-beam ratio, with either more powerful two-shaft machinery or a four-shaft arrangement considered while retaining nine 16-inch guns. A larger battle-line allowance would likely raise the carrier limit as well, encouraging earlier and more numerous carrier construction. France and Italy would face different numerical ceilings, while French yard constraints favor larger Dunkerque-type ships in major yards and carriers or other work in smaller facilities. By the Second World War, Britain and the United States would possess much deeper fleets and fast battleships better able to pressure German raiders. A raider's higher maximum speed would not ensure escape if the British battleship caught it before it had accelerated.