Germany's Kaiser wanted a prestigious fleet, but the government and public were less committed and the army opposed naval spending that threatened its own budget. Nassau's 11-inch guns, triple-expansion engines, and roughly 20-knot performance would compare poorly with the alternate Dreadnought. Although Nassau carried twelve 11-inch guns, its layout brought only eight onto a broadside, against the hypothetical Dreadnought's twelve centerline 14-inch guns. German yards also lacked enough domestic turbine capacity to reproduce the British speed increase immediately. Germany could improve later Helgoland and Kaiser designs, but new guns, machinery, and larger hulls would raise the cost of every nominal unit authorized under the naval laws. Matching the qualitative leap would therefore force an earlier political renegotiation in which the army could block the extra money, beginning the end of the quantitative race sooner even if Nassau itself still appeared.
Chapter · 1:45:36-1:53:48
Germany struggles to fund a qualitative response
A 14-inch, 24-knot British standard forces Germany to choose between expensive new naval technology and the army's political claim on national resources.