Britain and America drive the dreadnought design race

The numerical naval race and the competition to improve battleship design had different leaders. In this interpretation, the more intellectually significant exchange was developing between Britain and the United States rather than Britain and Germany. Florida's centerline battery is the immediate example of American designers testing a different answer to the same firepower problem. German ships entering service were often already overtaken by British designs under construction. Building totals and technical innovation therefore did not necessarily have the same leaders.