How Henderson-style admirals might have changed the modern Royal Navy

How would the Royal Navy look if its leadership from 2010 had consisted of Henderson-style admirals?

It might have twelve Type 45s, more Astutes, stronger amphibious forces, and a restored senior construction advocate because those admirals would campaign effectively for continuous investment.

The counterfactual imagines admirals from 2010 making a sustained public case for naval investment while allowing ministers to receive the political credit. One suggested result is six additional Type 45s fitted with Mark 41 VLS for strike missions as well as air defence, while the original ships remain specialist air defenders. A steadier Astute construction sequence could also leave more submarines approaching service later in the 2020s. If required, fifth and sixth Dreadnought hulls configured as missile-strike boats are raised as another possibility. The 2009 collision between Vanguard and Le Triomphant is suggested as an event such leaders could use to argue for additional submarine capacity. They might also restore the Third Sea Lord's role as a senior advocate for naval construction. A modern version is tentatively envisaged as a vice-admiral's post, justified by the scale and cost of the building programme.