Q&A ยท 3:17:33-3:18:19

A fifth NATO battleship for Atlantic surface groups

A retained Vanguard could complement the four reactivated Iowas and support three rotating North Atlantic surface-action groups.

Question

How might a retained HMS Vanguard fit with the US Navy's reactivated Iowa-class battleships?

Short answer

She could form the British core of a third North Atlantic surface-action group, increasing the combined NATO force from four battleships to five.

Notes

Britain could recommission Vanguard alongside the American return of the four Iowa-class battleships. The combined force would provide five large-gun capital ships rather than four. NATO could organize three North Atlantic surface-action groups, two centred on Iowas and one on Vanguard, to improve the odds that one group remained ready at sea. The scenario would also create pressure to modernise Vanguard for interoperability and contemporary threats rather than preserve her in Second World War condition.