Selling turbines while competing at sea

Britain's large private maritime sector absorbed part of dreadnought development costs and recovered investment through sales at home and abroad. Italy, Japan, the United States, and Germany bought British turbines or related systems. Those sales brought income while delaying competing industries and making customers dependent on British parts and expertise. Once war cut access to specialist spares, a navy had to limit operations or replace machinery in its own yards. Either choice consumed capacity that could have supported new construction, so industrial support shaped naval power long after a ship was purchased.