Infrastructure gave the Royal Navy global reach only when each base could physically support the ships sent there. Many interwar facilities could handle warships around 20,000 tons, while far fewer could accept HMS Hood at roughly 47,000 tons and 262 metres. Floating docks offered an alternative, but moving one across open water was difficult and undesirable. Ship size shaped combat qualities and determined where a capital ship could operate, repair, and return to service.
Notable Point · 55:45-57:32
Global basing can support reach while capping ship size
The Royal Navy's worldwide facilities sustained global operations, but their dimensions made a roughly 20,000-ton ship far easier to support than HMS Hood.