Melvin Loh said:
HMAS AUSTRALIA was the RAN's 1st and only battlecruiser (INDEFATIGABLE class) which served during 1916-19, but which after the war was scrapped under the 1922 Washington Treaty as a surplus dreadnought, with the Aust govt's full agreement. But WI the British and Aust govts had decided to scrap another capital ship instead of AUSTRALIA ? How much more of a deterrent effect against Japan would have been facilitated with the presence of a battlecruiser in Aust's order of battle by 1939 ? What effect could Aust having a battlecruiser have had on the course of Aust's contribution to the war in both the Atlantic and Pacific ?
If I were a Japanese admiral, I'd laugh at the Royal Navy's stupidity at retaining one of the weakest capital ships in service. If the Royal Navy wants Austrailia to have a battlecruiser, keep one of the 13.5" ships-they are faster, better armored, and better armed. Better yet, give them Repulse or Renown. From the RN's perspective, I'd hate to give up a 15" gun ship to keep any extra BC, however. In the event of a full scale war, I'd need all the firepower I can get--and I'd be very thankful that the Americans were forced to keep some 12" ships. (Remember, the RN had only two ships with All or Nothing armor, while the USA had 12--a critical concern in a Pacific war.
Alternatively, perhaps each navy gets to keep one older dreadnought--Japan keeps Settsu (20823 tons, 12 x 12" guns, poor layout, Italy keeps Dante Alighieri (19552 tons, 12 x 12" and the USA keeps Delaware (20380 tons, 10 x 12" guns.)
Tonnage is comparable--Britain gets a fast ship for commerce protection, the others get a powerful coast defence ship. France gets the short end of the stick here--no more dreadnoughts to retain.
To retain the balance, these "extra" battleships are under a seperate replacement clause. Keep the 20 year lifespan, but these second class ships must be replaced by ships of no more than 20,000 tons standard, with 12" guns maximum.
Either way, I doubt that one BC in Austrailian waters would make that much of a difference, although one extra convoy escort gives Scharnhorst and Gneiseneau something to thnk about. Most likely, Australia stays in the Pacific, while a slower, but more powerful, ship stays in the Atlantic. Britain now has to contend with another Italian battleship, though.