How navies set battlecruiser speed targets

If earlier British battlecruisers became faster, what speed would Fisher demand from the next Renown-style ships?

He would probably target a round 34 knots rather than a fractional figure; navies specify whole-knot goals even when trials produce quarter-knot results.

A faster preceding generation would push Fisher toward an ambitious 34-knot requirement for the next ships. Navies normally write requirements in whole knots, so they would not set a target such as 33.75 knots. Fractional speeds emerge from trials and operating conditions after construction rather than from the original design aim.