Shipbuilders, gunmakers, armour producers, and specialist workers disperse when construction stops; restarting them later adds cost and delay. The gap between Nelson-class and King George V-class costs illustrates the consequences. Foundries must be reopened, experienced workers recalled or replaced, and a new labour force moved back up the learning curve. A continuous programme would allow successive refinements in hulls, machinery, guns, and fast-battleship design rather than forcing navies to rebuild their industrial ecosystem from scratch.
Notable Point · 1:33:41-1:46:17
Why uninterrupted shipbuilding changes later warship design
Keeping orders moving preserves skills and production capacity that are expensive to recreate after a building holiday.