Britain's worldwide commitments gave capital-ship speed a strategic purpose. By the 1930s, the King George V designs offered 28 knots and the Lions 30 knots, yet greater cruising efficiency could still make a faster ship useful. The Panama Canal provided the United States with a workable connection between two oceans, while Britain had commitments in the North and South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Pacific, and Mediterranean. Britain lacked enough capital ships to maintain the required strength everywhere, so redeployment speed mattered. Under the protection-and-subdivision distinction used here, Vanguard belongs to the fully armoured battlecruiser category. Her value illustrates why efficient cruising and the ability to reach a distant station mattered alongside maximum speed.
Notable Point · 23:21-25:24
Why imperial distance kept capital-ship speed valuable
The Royal Navy valued cruising efficiency as well as top speed because a limited capital-ship force had to cover several oceans and the Mediterranean.