Unicorn also illustrates a broader reading of Admiral Henderson's procurement philosophy: a design should strengthen more than the single hull that receives it. The 14-inch armament of the King George V class was outside Henderson's responsibility. His other decisions suggest that he would probably have preferred an improved 15-inch gun over a move to 16-inch weapons. The Royal Navy already operated that calibre in the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge classes, Hood, Renown, and Repulse, so a compatible improvement could potentially be retrofitted across a large capital-ship force. Standardisation could multiply the operational return from one industrial program, the same principle Unicorn applied to fleet aviation.
Notable Point · 22:30-24:24
Henderson treats standardisation as a fleet-wide multiplier
An improved 15-inch gun illustrates how one standardised design could strengthen numerous existing capital ships as well as new construction.