How Dreadnought design choices shaped the naval race

Fisher's caution affected both the number of ships ordered and the design of Dreadnought itself. A more ambitious design using 13.5-inch guns, triple turrets, or a superfiring arrangement could have widened Britain's qualitative lead beyond the ship as built. Even keeping the same guns while adopting superfiring turrets would have raised the broadside from eight to ten guns, forcing German designers to reconsider their hull and turret layout and costing them time. Early procurement decisions could therefore reshape the arms race before the fleets fought.