Traffic crossed the Atlantic and passed through the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, linking markets around the British Empire. The major routes remained much the same from the 1900s and 1910s into the later planning examples. Britain could use its fleet to interrupt enemy commerce while keeping its own traffic moving. The Invincibles were meant to run down cruisers that threatened those routes, a task that helped justify ordering three ships at the outset.
Notable Point · 17:40-18:59
Trade protection as economic warfare
Britain's trade routes explain why a fleet built to fight battles also needed ships that could hunt raiders far from home.