How would the Second World War change if Britain had not paid to close yards and dry docks in the 1930s?
Short answerMore facilities would speed escort construction, although specialized guns, turbines, and machinery would remain bottlenecks.
NotesKeeping more yards and dry docks open would have left Britain with additional facilities to recapitalize when war came. That would not automatically increase production of four-and-a-half-inch gun mountings or resolve turbine bottlenecks. The clearest benefit would be extra capacity for ships using triple- or quadruple-expansion machinery. Flower- and Castle-class escorts could consequently have entered service in greater numbers and sooner, strengthening the campaign against submarines.