Several navies were developing ships and technologies at the same time, making the dreadnought race much wider than a British-German contest. In the 1913 snapshot, Britain is accelerating, Germany is trying to catch up, Spain has a ship in the water, the United States and Japan are doing well, and France is pursuing its own awkward path. The competition concerned both hull counts and the ability to build an effective capital ship for a navy's particular strategic needs. Tiger's mission reached beyond a North Sea duel. British battlecruisers were meant to protect worldwide trade and hunt enemy cruisers and battlecruisers. Those different missions help explain each navy's choices about speed, armament, and purpose.
Chapter · 12:29-13:47
Why the 1913 naval race was global
The 1913 capital-ship race reached far beyond Britain and Germany, with American, Japanese, Spanish, French, and other programmes shaping the wider contest.