The Tiger Cub idea works as a plausible procurement alternative to a purely fanciful ship design. Britain had available slipways, established armament production, and private yards short of work. The counterfactual does not depend on an industrial breakthrough or the cancellation of the dreadnought programme. Government economy is the likeliest reason the Royal Navy never ordered the ships, since British industry could have built them.
Chapter · 2:34-5:20
The alternate-history case for Tiger Cubs
The scenario asks why Britain did not pair HMS Tiger with cheaper, 9.2-inch-gun cruisers while building dreadnoughts.