How a larger Soviet cruiser program might have prolonged Western capital ships

Would the West have retained or built more large surface combatants if the Soviet Union completed its planned Sverdlov and Stalingrad forces?

Probably: more Soviet gun cruisers and fast battlecruisers could have extended existing ships' careers and prompted new Western cruiser or capital-ship construction.

A larger Soviet surface fleet could have extended the useful lives of Vanguard, the Iowa and Alaska classes, and British battleships such as Anson and Howe. Project 82 Stalingrad was intended to carry nine 12-inch guns and make roughly 35.5 knots. That speed would have limited the ability of existing Western battleships to pursue it, despite their heavier armament. One counterfactual British response combines completion of the Malta carriers with a fast Vanguard successor. Possible gun arrangements include twelve 14-inch guns in quadruple turrets, triple 15-inch mountings, or rebuilt turrets using mechanisms from Nelson and Rodney. These are proposed alternatives, not a historical construction program. A single Town-class cruiser could not defeat two Sverdlovs, while using Vanguard against them would impose a much greater operating commitment.