British and Chinese naval investment compared

The comparison explains longer British ship lifetimes through greater investment in seasoning timber. China is described as able to build more ships at once, while reserving prolonged timber seasoning for some vessels. In this account, a primarily land empire with a larger manpower pool could build a navy in response to particular problems without depending on it to the same extent. Britain had fewer people and resources and depended on the sea as its moat and strategic depth. National identity helped sustain support for the navy, while longer-lived ships allowed a limited rate of construction to build up a larger reserve of naval capacity.