Q&A · 1:40:20-1:40:50

Larger dreadnoughts and British dockyard capacity

A dockyard answer shows how an early capital-ship expansion can create industrial capacity that remains useful for later generations.

Question

Would a generation of much larger British dreadnoughts force major infrastructure upgrades?

Short answer

Some enlargement would be required, but less than Germany might hope, and the investment would later make ships such as Hood and still larger wartime designs easier to support.

Notes

Larger dreadnoughts would require Britain to expand some construction and support facilities. The burden would be manageable. Once built, that infrastructure would make Hood-sized ships easier to handle and give Britain more room for larger designs by the Second World War.