The counterfactual asks whether surrendering all eight British 13.5-inch battleships could have secured four new 35,000-ton ships. The arithmetic fit within Britain's overall tonnage, yet four brand-new Royal Navy battleships looked threatening to American negotiators, especially while Britain retained the larger Hood. A 1920s construction programme, alongside refits of the Revenge and Queen Elizabeth classes, could have kept yards and skilled labour active. The proposal links treaty horse-trading to the industrial readiness Britain would need for late-1930s rearmament.
Notable Point · 34:55-36:49
Treaty horse-trading and shipyard continuity
Exchanging all eight British 13.5-inch battleships might have secured four replacements and preserved shipyard work, but the resulting modern fleet alarmed other negotiators.