H-class starts and shipyard experience

Did the contracts and early work on Germany's H-class mean several battleships could be completed quickly?

No. H and J were still at very early stages, and usable yards also required suitable slipways, machinery capacity, trained workers, and capital-ship experience.

Contracts, orders for long-lead material, delivered steel and steel installed on a slipway marked different stages of construction. H began in July 1939 and had more than 5,000 tons of steel delivered to Blohm and Voss, with only 800 tons installed before work paused in September. Machinery and milling capacity were already limiting progress, while J had only begun in September. Orders for some later ships' long-lead items did not establish that their hull construction had begun. Slipways also needed to support the proposed ships' weight. Expanding production required trained machinery builders and workers with capital-ship experience, while the established yards were already heavily occupied. Repeated design changes during construction added further difficulty.