The counterfactual begins with effectively unrestricted British naval research funding from 1900. Lord Nelson or Dreadnought might then carry 13.5- or 14-inch weapons, potentially including triple turrets, instead of their historical 12-inch armament. Other powers would face a higher technical benchmark before their own dreadnought programs had matured. In this assessment, Britain was the only country with the maritime industry, laboratories, and building infrastructure needed to spend such a budget productively. The predicted result is a Grand Fleet of roughly its historical size with more powerful ships, rather than an unlimited number of hulls.
Notable Point · 3:35:58-3:39:07
What a prewar naval research blank cheque could change
A larger Royal Navy research budget could accelerate heavy-gun and turret development because Britain already possessed the laboratories, industry, and yards able to turn experiments into ships.