How would pre-First World War British yards respond to a popular rival nation's export design?
Short answerThey would build competing designs at scale, underbid rivals, and use Britain's dominant shipbuilding network to win contracts.
NotesBritish yards supplied far more than the Royal Navy, building merchant ships, destroyers, and cruisers for much of the world. A foreign design gaining popularity would prompt British firms to produce competing ships at greater scale, bid aggressively, and use their commercial position to secure orders. Domestic naval strength and export-industrial reach reinforced each other.