Why Britain delayed higher-pressure naval boilers

Could Britain have adopted higher-pressure boilers comparable to later American practice?

Yes, especially with a later standardization date, but global maintenance and logistics strongly favored proven machinery.

Britain had higher-pressure boiler studies available but stabilized its machinery earlier than the United States. A decision around 1939 rather than 1936 might have selected a higher-pressure plant for Lion-class successors. The Royal Navy nevertheless had to maintain machinery across a worldwide network, making reliability and common support especially valuable. Standardization dates and the demands of worldwide support explain the different machinery choices.