Naval History Writing Competition 2023/2024

The competition asks writers to save a ship or class cancelled around the Washington Naval Treaty and trace the consequences into World War II.

A convincing counterfactual should remain close to real history and account for the many forces shaping warship development.

One example asks how Japanese carrier development changes if earthquake damage does not remove Amagi and Japan completes Amagi alongside Akagi.

The judging framework rewards both technically strong historical integration and a story capable of making the chosen ship's career compelling.

The word limits are designed to provide enough room for historical causation while preventing book-length submissions from overwhelming shorter entries.

Entries should span the post-World War I settlement into World War II and show how the surviving ship performs when war complicates the scenario.

The F3 design illustrates how a treaty-compliant choice could alter Royal Navy speed, armament, later gun upgrades, and interwar deployments.

A carefully qualified hypothesis links Cammell Laird's later carrier expertise to possible studies for converting an Admiral-class battlecruiser.

Hidden battleship scenarios are implausible because reconnaissance, visible shipyards, industrial logistics, and large workforces make concealment impractical.

Three British Admiral-class carriers would invite an American response and force every treaty navy to reconsider carrier tonnage and conversion choices.

A credible scenario must acknowledge how rival navies respond, illustrated by completing every Colorado and reconsidering the number and design of British Nelsons.

The closing preview identifies the early Ark Royal as the first ship designed from the outset as a carrier while distinguishing its seaplane role from later flight-deck carriers.