Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:06:06-2:07:10

Why post-Jutland Britain still wanted fast battlecruisers

The Admiral and G3 designs looked beyond a repeat of Jutland toward worldwide operations resembling the cruiser campaigns of early 1914-15.

BattlecruisersG3 Class BattlecruisersNaval StrategyRoyal NavyWorld War I
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Question

Did speed and armor requirements dictate the Admiral-class design?

Short answer

Speed chiefly supplied strategic utility for the next global war of maneuver after the German North Sea threat had been defeated.

Notes

Fast capital ships could concentrate across oceanic distances and respond to dispersed threats. The Second World War's wider naval campaigns partly vindicated this strategic expectation. With Germany's North Sea battle fleet defeated, British planners expected future war to demand maneuver across much larger spaces. The Admiral and G3 concepts answered that global problem rather than simply trying to repeat Jutland with more speed.