The F3 layout is preferred here for its appearance as a ship representing Britain overseas. The comparison is with the all-forward Nelson and Rodney arrangement, whose efficiency is appreciated despite its unusual proportions. Two large oblong funnels would have supplied a familiar British visual signature, although neither the F3 design nor Nelson and Rodney had that arrangement. The preference for the F3's shape is explicitly aesthetic. It supports an argument that an imposing appearance matters in diplomacy even when the compared ships are both capable.
Notable Point · 58:28-1:00:32
F3 appearance as a personal argument about naval presence
The preference for F3's proportions concerns how a capital ship looks during overseas presence missions.