The initial wartime cancellations are treated as pauses in August and September, with firm decisions following in October amid pressure from Fisher. Battenberg had helped secure the sixth Queen Elizabeth and repeatedly chose battleships over battlecruisers in the 1912-13, 1913-14, and planned 1914-15 programmes. The scenario favours completing Resistance and Agincourt in naval yards, although the need to clear space for maintenance and battle-damage repairs could still cause their cancellation. Renown and Repulse would retain their original battleship form. If the war ended quickly there would be little reason to clear the yards for repairs; if it lasted, the Navy would need replacement capital ships. The projected result is four completed battleships in place of Fisher's five battlecruiser and large-light-cruiser projects. Starting the next generation as fast battleships would also leave their design rationale better able to withstand the lessons of Jutland.
Chapter · 1:37:35-1:45:03
Fast battleships instead of battlecruisers
Battenberg's consistent refusal to order battlecruisers points toward completing the paused R-class ships and Renown and Repulse as battleships rather than sacrificing them to Fisher's Baltic programme.