If faster Queen Elizabeths led to equally fast Revenge-class ships, Britain could enter the postwar years with a battle line several knots faster than the American fleet. That advantage would make a treaty that preserved the existing balance harder for the United States to accept. One proposed British response would suspend new construction for two years, directing funds to debt repayment while relying on the existing fleet's margin. A conclusive Jutland victory is also suggested as a route to ending the war in 1917, avoiding part of the late-war borrowing burden. These are conditional consequences of the scenario. Debt repayment has a further strategic purpose in this interpretation: reducing foreign influence over British policy and preserving the capacity to borrow in another war.
Notable Point · 49:17-56:27
A faster British battle fleet, war debts, and treaty bargaining
A hypothetical British speed advantage leads to proposals for pausing construction, paying down war debt, and resisting American pressure over naval treaties.