Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:30:37-1:32:27

Why a faster Nelson was possible but not necessarily quicker to build

A twenty-eight- to thirty-knot Nelson derivative could be imagined, but interwar shipyard experience rather than design novelty controlled construction speed.

BattleshipsKing George V Class Battleships (1939)Naval ProcurementNelson Class BattleshipsShipbuilding
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Question

Could the Royal Navy have built an improved fast Nelson instead of the King George V class, and would that have accelerated construction?

Short answer

A fast Nelson derivative was plausible, but it would not remove the delay caused by years without continuous battleship construction.

Notes

A viewer asks whether the Royal Navy could have improved the known Nelson design instead of creating the King George V class. A faster twenty-eight- to thirty-knot Nelson is treated as an interesting and plausible ship. It would probably not arrive much sooner because the long break in battleship construction had eroded yard experience and production rhythm. Nelson and Rodney preserved some knowledge, but only sustained building could restore the speed with which complex capital ships were completed. A later follow-up identifies the efficient teardrop hull and limited boiler and turbine power as the clearest route to greater speed.