Britain receives extra construction tonnage only by surrendering older ships. The possible 525,000- and 558,950-ton totals permit five or six 35,000-ton replacements while reducing the number of hulls available for overseas stations. Giving up HMS Tiger also removes one of the Royal Navy's four fast capital ships, so the new class has to restore that operational capability. The treaty bargain therefore ties design choices to fleet presence and availability.
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Trading older capital ships for new construction
The counterfactual begins by asking what the Royal Navy might receive if it surrendered more 13.5-inch ships, including HMS Tiger, under the Washington settlement.