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In the RN they were called the "Cherry Tree" class, since they had been "cut down by Washington". (The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922)
Quite simply the original designs (the G-3 Battlecruiser) were cancelled after the treaty. The Brits were allowed to construct two more BB since they had no 16" gun mounts unlike Japan and the US.
So you have a ton of design compromises. To save weight armour is only in essential areas. All guns are kept forward so the can be served by a single magazine, again saving weight. This means they cannot fire dead on or even simultaneouly, (the crew ignored this during the Bismarck engagement). British boiler designs were not as good as the Americans, so the speed is reduced since you are forced to use smaller and less powerful boilers.
All in all you get a very inferior ship. IMO, Brits designs went down after the QE's and did not really get going again until Vanguard. By then of course the BB's were....
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