Lord Nelson cost about £1.65 million, compared with about £1.785 million for Dreadnought. The larger difference lay in construction pace: Invincible-class battlecruisers were laid down, completed, and commissioned during the extended time it took Lord Nelson to reach service. That overlap left the Royal Navy testing several related paths at once, including all-big-gun battleships, battlecruisers, and a long-range pre-dreadnought alternative for distant stations. One plausible branch would have Dreadnought succeed, the Invincibles disappoint, and Lord Nelson descendants serve as second-class battleships on stations such as China. The overlapping programmes gave the Navy several ways to distribute speed, range, armour, and firepower while service experience resolved the uncertainty.
Notable Point · 23:31-29:14
Cost, construction pace, and overlapping classes
For a relatively small cost difference, Dreadnought brought more 12-inch guns and speed, while construction timing left Lord Nelson alongside new dreadnoughts and battlecruisers.