How repeated battles can widen a fleet's quality advantage

The campaign's encounter system repeatedly assigns battles to the strongest British fleet, so its crews accumulate still more combat experience. Veteran status improves accuracy, aiming, reload time, and damage control. Those advantages make later victories easier and give the same force still more experience, producing a self-reinforcing cycle. Material superiority combines with trained personnel and repeated practice, widening the gap beyond what ship counts or gun calibres alone reveal.