Q&A ยท 19:23-25:25

If every treaty navy received two new battleships

An alternate treaty settlement produces 16-inch ships for every major navy - and a British demand for four replacements rather than two.

Question

What would the treaty navies build if each received Britain's allowance for two new battleships?

Short answer

Most would build 16-inch battleships, while Britain would likely demand four ships and might divide them between slower heavily protected and faster designs.

Notes

Britain's historical allowance reflected the age and 15-inch armament of its battle fleet. If all powers received two new ships, Britain would probably insist on four rather than surrender its special replacement case. Those four might divide between heavily protected battleships derived from the N3 family and faster designs closer to the F3. The United States and Japan would probably build nine-gun 16-inch ships, while Italy could complete Francesco Caracciolo-class hulls and France would face a more difficult affordability problem.