At the later stages of the war, the Admiralty returned to the idea of maintaining a post war fleet containing 12 modern battleships with significant numbers, but the Royal Navy only had the 4 modern KGV’s, the Vanguard (then under construction), the 3 modernized Queen Elizabeths out of which the Warspite was badly damaged plus…

Design 16H-40 (unofficial designation) Early war modifications while rather limited, still led to the first major alteration on the Lion class battleship design.In August 1940 DNC pointed out that war additions had increased the total displacement of the ships by an estimated 800 tons rising it to 47.000 tons resulting in a 6 inch increase…

Two smaller designs have been worked out as well as part of the negotiations strategy for the 2nd Naval Treaty of London. The Staff requirements still maintained a main battery of 9-16″ guns but they were willing to give up some speed and part of the secondary battery while at the same time increasing the…

By February 1938 it appeared increasingly likely that the Second London Treaty’s tonnage related escalator clause will be activated soon due to Japan’s unwillingness to answer questions on its new battleship’s displacement. If the previous 35kton designs were more in line with the US North Carolina and South Dakota classes than the following ones were…

Great Britain tried very hard for many years to keep the 35.000 ton limit set by the Washington Treaty as long as possible. They committed first to building new ships after the expiration of the building holiday and came up with the King George V class. To get the ships into service at the earliest…