Why equal-cost fleet comparisons can mislead

Can the combat be balanced by giving both sides the same cost?

It can be done as a game experiment, but it is historically misleading because British and Japanese resources, construction costs, and available ship numbers were not equivalent.

The game's common cost calculation gives equal spending a misleading historical appearance. British ship construction is judged cheaper than Japanese construction because the countries have different resources. Their available ship numbers also differ. An equal-cost battle can be attempted as a game experiment, but it does not reproduce those national advantages and constraints.