The intended extra turret and ammunition would have added roughly 600 tons to Belfast's deep-load figure. More importantly, Belfast and Edinburgh were already above the nominal treaty standard-displacement limit when laid down in 1936. This is presented as evidence that British planners expected the treaty system to cease constraining these ships before completion.
Notable Point · 1:32:30-1:34:37
Super Town planning assumed treaty limits would fade
Belfast's existing displacement and planned quadruple turrets show that the Admiralty did not expect the 10,000-ton treaty ceiling to remain decisive.