Eight or nine 16.5-inch guns in the successor class

Larger-gun branches replace the twelve 15-inch guns with eight 16.5-inch guns in twin turrets or nine in three triple turrets. These hypothetical successors retain roughly 30 knots and battleship protection at about 45,000 tons standard displacement. That is approximately 15,000 tons more than even the modified Queen Elizabeth in this comparison. Other navies would have to assess whether their existing designs could match such a combination of gun power, speed and protection. The nine-gun branch would increase the armament further while preserving the same general design aims.