Sending French fast battleships east would create a different support problem from deploying British King George V-class ships. French ships offer speed, but Britain lacked established stocks and factories for their ammunition and machinery. Supporting them at the end of a long route would require new production, transshipment, and maintenance arrangements. British ships would therefore be easier to sustain from Indian Ocean bases even when a French design looked attractive on paper.
Notable Point · 1:12:04-1:15:13
French capital ships would be harder to sustain in the Far East
A Far East fleet must be chosen around ammunition production, bases, spare parts, and shipping routes rather than speed alone.