Britain ordered one HMS Dreadnought and a class of three Invincibles at the outset. The Royal Navy already had a large battle fleet, and the three cruisers offered a new way to protect the trade on which Britain and its empire depended. The cost comparison puts the early Invincibles only a little above a regular armoured cruiser. At that price, the navy could buy a larger ship incorporating recent design and technology without immediately giving up the economies of cruiser construction.
Chapter · 4:20-5:32
Three Invincibles and one Dreadnought
Fisher's initial orders show how much weight the Royal Navy gave to protecting trade when it adopted all-big-gun ships.