Why USS Enterprise still had a speed limit

The discussion separates generating power from converting it into useful speed. Enterprise's eight reactors gave her exceptional power, but shaft, propeller, and hull limits still mattered. A later follow-up mentions reports of structural damage at high speed and describes the carrier as heavily over-engined. Comparing two-, three-, and four-shaft arrangements shows why propulsion layout can constrain a ship even when its machinery produces abundant power. Nelson and Rodney provide a two-shaft contrast, while the related G3 design shows how another arrangement could support much higher speed. Royal Navy design figures could also be conservative. Ark Royal's acknowledged speed had to be raised because her actual performance was much better.