What an Indian-funded Iron Duke could have changed

What might have happened if an Indian-funded Iron Duke-class battleship had been completed?

She would likely have served as a Royal Navy ship with strong Indian participation and could have accelerated both a Royal Indian Navy and Canadian demands for a capital ship.

If completed before the First World War, the ship would probably have served within the Royal Navy with a heavily Indian crew, much as New Zealand represented Dominion participation without operating as an independent battle fleet. Over time, retaining such a capital ship could have strengthened the case for creating a distinct Royal Indian Navy organization around it. Australia already possessed a battlecruiser, so an Indian battleship would also have intensified Canadian pressure to sponsor a comparable unit. The counterfactual is therefore less about one hull's battles and more about how prestige ships could drive imperial naval institutions.