Could fast liners have preserved German shipbuilding skills?

Should Germany have built more large fast liners to preserve naval-industrial capability under treaty restrictions?

Yes. Such ships could have served as practical industrial test beds while direct warship construction was constrained.

Large fast merchant liners would have been sensible industrial test beds alongside other German efforts to preserve restricted capabilities. The ships still required demanding hull, machinery, and yard work, allowing firms to retain experience relevant to later warship construction. State support for other treaty-avoidance projects makes this missed opportunity a matter of industrial policy rather than ship design alone.