The projected twenty-five-ship fleet combines fourteen new capital ships with eleven older vessels. Retaining that total would require the Queen Elizabeths, Nelson and Rodney, Hood, Renown, Royal Oak, and another modernised ship. Continued construction could add another eight ships by 1944, although the final Royal Navy total would depend on German, Italian, and Japanese programmes. Vanguard construction need not consume every turret from an older ship: Britain has a substantial pool of 15-inch guns and the ability to manufacture more. That leaves room to retain older ships or transfer them to Australia and Canada as new vessels arrive. Possible distributions include R-class battleships and battlecruisers, with each Dominion eventually operating four capital ships. The allocation remains conditional on how well modernisation and new construction proceed.
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Twenty-five capital ships and the choices behind Dominion transfers
A projected twenty-five-ship Royal Navy combines fourteen new capital ships with eleven retained vessels, while later completions create options for Australia and Canada.