Speed mattered when a force had room for manoeuvre, pursuit, or disengagement. The confined Adriatic offered Austria-Hungary little room to exploit a faster battleship, making 20 or 21 knots a sensible compromise for the intended theatre. Battlecruisers and torpedo boats show the vulnerability of designs that rely on speed, because damage or circumstances can strip away their main protection. The humorous exception is the Fairey Swordfish: in Norway its extreme slowness could make a faster aircraft overshoot, allowing the Swordfish to fire from behind. The example is unusual, but it sharpens the wider point that useful speed depends on mission and geography.
Notable Point · 18:20-20:19
Why 21 knots could suit the Adriatic
The Ersatz Monarchs did not need exceptional speed if their intended theatre gave opponents little room to exploit manoeuvre.