The fleet graphs use specific definitions for construction and service totals. A ship enters the under-construction total when it is physically laid down, not when a government merely orders it. It enters the in-service total only when it has commissioned and become an operational naval unit. This distinction prevents paper orders and incomplete hulls from inflating a navy's immediately usable strength. It matters when comparing fast-moving dreadnought programs in which ordering, laying down, launching, and commissioning occurred at different times.
Notable Point · 24:05-24:53
Laid down and commissioned define the fleet totals
The series counts a warship as under construction only after laying down and as in service only after commissioning, separating orders from physical and operational reality.