Comments by "Todd Webb" (@toddwebb7521) on "The Drydock - Episode 142" video.

Well if the Germans were allowed to keep Helgoland class there's a good chance the Deutschland class Panzersciffs would have had 12s and the Scharnhorsts would have had improved 12s similar to Alaska class. Also on the more speculative when the Germans considered going to bigger guns on the König class before determining they were too far along to go from 10 12s to 8 13.8s because the barbettes where already in place the ship builders did determine they could have went up to 320mm 12.6" guns with the shell system and barbettes made for the 12s. If they upgunned the Helgolands to those 320mm similar to what the Italians did with old 12" ships well the Helgolands may be a similar threat level to the upgraded WWI Italian ships and if the Germans where making 320 mm guns the Scharnhorsts could have wound up with improved 320mm guns which would put them on the same level of guns as the Dunkerque class but with the Scharnhorsts much better armour.
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@hendrikbootha7285 Making treaty tonnage is the only reason it didn't so if treaty wasn't a concern they would. Now if you was trying to stick to the treaty and thinned down armour in order to do it not sure that would have been brilliant
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If course if they got to keep Nassaus instead well an 11" ship wouldn't have been able to do much that the predreads couldn't do, just slightly faster and a few more of those 11" guns for shore bombardments. I don't even think with improved Scharnhorst 11s they could have been a threat.
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