What the all-forward cruiser experiment suggests

The simulated force sinks its German opponent, but the outcome depends heavily on ammunition exhaustion and the combined effect of several Royal Navy ships. In another four-on-four run, torpedoes help destroy the German force despite British losses, showing the importance of combined armament rather than calibre alone. A Nelson-style 8-inch cruiser appears workable, yet the Royal Navy's actual designs also reflected continuity, peacetime presence, and the desire for broadly useful ships. The King George V class's distributed main battery fits that continuity more closely than the concentrated arrangement of Nelson and Rodney. County-class visual presence could serve imperial and diplomatic work even when it produced a less weight-efficient wartime design. Combat efficiency was one part of a choice that had to account for both peace and war.