Late warships with reciprocating expansion engines
A Second World War frigate, possibly River class, is the tentative candidate, with a qualification about triple versus multistage expansion.
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Prize money and the incentive to capture enemy ships
The Falklands War might change little, while Second World War crews could have stronger incentives to capture cruisers, submarines and merchant ships.
A counterfactual change in Pacific command after Pearl Harbor
King would probably demand more aggressive operations and press harder for resources, with less tolerance for MacArthur.
Would prize money have encouraged taking Altmark home?
Prize money could have encouraged Cossack's crew to take Altmark back to Britain.
Malta and the Royal Navy's 10th Submarine Flotilla
The 10th Submarine Flotilla at Malta, particularly its U-class boats, and Venturer are recommended starting points.
Japan's Aegis vessels and a possible second batch
The Japanese vessels serve a national-defence role and accommodate radar ordered for land use; a predicted second pair could have different requirements.
Four triple turrets as a battleship preference
Four triple turrets are preferred, with maintenance complexity the reservation about quadruple mountings.
Sustained Japanese radar research from 1936
Sustained funding from 1936 could have produced substantial Japanese radar deployment by 1941, provided comparable technical breakthroughs followed.
Why Kiev and Minsk became tourist attractions
The tentative explanation is that other uses were less viable, leaving study and tourism as practical options.
Could an army ambush a fleet inside a port?
Theoretically, but suspicion, reconnaissance and sailors' local contacts would make the trap difficult.
Mining canals to disrupt inland navigation
British canal mining is proposed, although aircraft often failed to place mines in the canals.
Port and starboard watches in the Age of Sail
Two crew divisions suited the organisation and work rhythm, with several daily watch periods and the dog watches rotating their hours.
Fisher's Baltic plan preceded Gallipoli
Fisher's Baltic proposal was planned before Gallipoli.
Riverine craft drawn into open-water losses
Riverine losses at sea are judged more common than usually acknowledged, though no examples or count establish their frequency.
The economics of repairing Minsk after a fire
Moving and docking a tourist ship adds expense that its owners must justify against the value of the repair.
A Republic of China foothold on Hainan
It would gain strategic depth, but Hainan would be exposed and require continuing defence.
Warspite transported to the Falklands War
Assuming the battleship, withdrawing toward Ascension to join the task group is the proposed response; isolated action would be more dangerous.
Germany's absence from operational carrier service
Technically yes, despite Germany coming close to operating a carrier on a couple of occasions.
US Navy trainer economics and an F/A-XX prediction
Unattractive economics are the proposed reason for trainer withdrawals, alongside a separate forecast that Boeing will win F/A-XX.
Ukraine's Ada corvettes and lessons from uncrewed operations
Crewed corvettes are considered useful, and Black Sea uncrewed operations are treated cautiously as a guide to North Atlantic requirements.
Thirty advanced destroyers for the Royal Navy in 1939
A powerful addition for fighting other destroyers and carrying out anti-submarine work.
Missile damage beyond the armour belt
An armoured ship can lose its ability to fight without a missile penetrating its main armour.
Missile attack profiles and the radar horizon
An isolated ship's radar horizon favours a fast missile approach in this assessment, while airborne early warning prompts a preference for numerous sea skimmers.
Additional Audacious carriers and Lion conversions
Additional Audacious carriers were possible, but the Lions had not advanced far enough to provide a useful conversion basis.
The Su-27's landing gear and carrier selection
The Su-27's landing gear is identified as the reason for preferring it over the MiG-29 as a carrier-fighter starting point.
French naval expansion without the First World War
Completion is estimated around 1923, with British concern around 1920 as Russian construction also accelerated.
Fast sealift and ships held ready
Fast sealift capacity can sit unused for years before becoming urgently necessary for an operation.
Naval presence and the difficulty of measuring deterrence
Patrolling frigates and air-defence aircraft illustrate why deterrence is difficult to measure through incidents handled.
The Falklands War as an argument about deterrence costs
A rough CVA-01 cost comparison supports the argument that weakened deterrence can produce much larger wartime costs.
Three guns in a British 15-inch twin turret
The calibre would probably need to fall to about 13.5 inches, and the arrangement would still be cramped.
Removing an Océan-class ship's upper gun deck
Only a modest rise in gunport height and perhaps around a knot of speed are suggested.
Defence procurement, skilled work and exports
Defence procurement is examined for its contribution to domestic industry, skilled employment and exports.
Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth as emergency carriers
A severe international crisis and major Royal Navy difficulties are the circumstances envisaged.
Outside assistance in the Saudi-Houthi conflict
Possible assistance is expected to concentrate on logistics and intelligence, while economic stability in Yemen is proposed as a way to reduce Houthi support.
Choosing a war-studies course and supervisor
Birmingham, especially Jonathan Boff, is the principal recommendation, with supervision capacity and temperament central to the choice.
Extending Tiger and Lion's thicker belt armour
The thicker 9-inch belt could be extended to an extent, but no detailed reconstruction scheme is worked out.
Fifty extra Sunderlands against U-boats in 1940
Fifty extra Sunderlands could cover important passages and force the small operational U-boat force to spend more transit time submerged.
Tugboats and trawlers in coastal convoy defence
Available tugs and other small vessels were used, often alongside existing towing duties.
What delayed integrated electric propulsion?
Power electronics and frequency regulation were part of a wider problem involving motors, circuit protection, metallurgy and compatible electrical systems.
Gun availability and British auxiliary conversions
A converted vessel's armament depended partly on which guns were available.
Warrior and Black Prince with the West Africa Squadron in 1822
Two fast ironclads could strengthen slave-trade suppression while encouraging other navies to begin an ironclad arms race.
Why fast liners make expensive armed merchant cruisers
Speed is attractive, but high running costs and machinery optimised for fast passages make extended patrol work an awkward fit.
The military use that suits a large ocean liner
Passenger capacity and sustained ocean-passage speed suit large liners to troop transport.
The Unknown Warrior and overseas war graves
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains overseas graves; the participants understand the Unknown Warrior's anonymity to be deliberate.
Astute availability and the dry-dock bottleneck
The tentative return estimate is a couple of months, with dry-dock capacity identified as the immediate bottleneck.
Russian dry docks and maintenance capacity
Russian submarine facilities also exist in the Kola region and Far East, but their condition is questioned and British use is ruled out.
Canadian docks and nuclear certification
Suggested Canadian docking support raises the cost of certifying facilities for nuclear vessels.
Dry-dock funding in defence investment plans
Four years, with no dry-dock funding identified in this account.