By 1913, in this interpretation, Britain was producing more capital ships and matching each German generation with a stronger contemporary design. Even the criticized Revenge-class battleships carried 15-inch guns that Germany could not readily counter. A later outbreak of war would have brought still more Queen Elizabeth-class ships and potentially further experimental heavy-gun designs into service. German Chief of the Admiralty Staff Henning von Holtzendorff recognized that the race had been lost, but Tirpitz's programme continued to shape policy after its strategic premise had failed.
Notable Point · 1:33:18-1:35:38
Britain had already won the naval race by 1913
British output and successive capital-ship generations had left Germany unable to match the Royal Navy before the First World War began.