A clash with Russia could accelerate Dutch capital-ship plans

How would meeting the Russian Second Pacific Squadron affect Dutch naval construction?

Little would change without fighting, but a clash might spur the Netherlands to complete a battlecruiser by the First World War.

A peaceful encounter between the Dutch fleet and the Russian Second Pacific Squadron would probably change little. Actual fighting could create enough political pressure to accelerate Dutch naval construction. Procurement still moved slowly, so any response would take years to reach service. A serious clash might nevertheless have produced a Dutch battlecruiser by the First World War.