Would an electric-drive H-class necessarily be slower than one using geared shafts?
Short answerThe first concern is slower production of the installation. Period electric drive also introduces conversion losses and different responsiveness, even though it can offer damage-control advantages.
NotesThe original remark is recalled as a concern about slower production of electric-drive equipment, rather than lower ship speed. A separate argument concerns period machinery: turbine power has to become electricity, pass through the distribution system, and become mechanical power again in a motor. That arrangement offers damage-control advantages, but conversion losses and an indirect response complicate a simple faster-or-slower comparison. The electrically propelled Queen Elizabeth-class carriers illustrate a later level of development that should not be assumed available to Germany in this earlier period. Developing the proposed installation would require additional money and resources.