Using Nelson and the cancelled G3 as reference points, the design exercise asks how an additional 5,800 tons might be spent. The proposed direction keeps nine 16-inch guns and strong armour, then adds a four-shaft machinery arrangement and roughly 28 knots. The G3 comparison shows that a fast, heavily armed all-forward design was already within British design thinking. The extra displacement would make speed, protection, and layout easier to reconcile, though each feature would still carry a weight cost.
Chapter · 9:10-14:14
Designing a faster, larger Nelson
Extra treaty displacement could preserve Nelson's heavy protection while adding four shafts, 28-knot speed, and less painful design compromise.