The Royal Navy entered the interwar period with extensive combat experience but little reason to expect another High Seas Fleet battle in the North Sea. Wars against the United States, Japan, France, or Italy would force both sides to distribute ships among oceans, coasts, and imperial stations. Naval treaties also gave the Admiralty a politically useful floor from which to resist Treasury cuts below agreed strength. A globally large fleet could still be outnumbered at the point of contact, making the Harwich and Jutland lesson attractive: fight at night when the locally smaller force has fewer identification constraints.
Chapter · 1:20:53-1:25:03
Why global war favoured dispersed task forces
Interwar planners expected future wars to scatter squadrons across several theatres, making local inferiority and night attack more relevant than another concentrated Jutland.