Queen Mary's conservative design context explains why navies hesitate to gamble on their most visible ships. A failed capital ship can weaken foreign and domestic perceptions of the entire battle fleet. That perception can tempt an opponent to take risks or persuade a country's own political leadership that it lacks usable options. Conventional deterrence therefore depends on enough available units to provide a persistent capability, as well as evidence that those units genuinely work.
Notable Point · 17:50-19:39
Reliable capital ships as conventional deterrence
A proven warship design supports deterrence because capability must be both continuously available and credibly effective.