Mission and geography shaped dreadnought design

Warship form follows the navy's likely opponents and operating waters. An Italian all-big-gun ship could be tailored to Mediterranean fighting against France or Austria-Hungary without the range and sea-keeping demanded by a global navy. Italian planners also had reason to retain weapons suited to fast destroyers or torpedo boats attacking at close range. Britain had to consider Germany or the United States across the North Sea, North Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean. Those wider commitments made speed, endurance, and sea-keeping central requirements, so a sensible British design would not simply reproduce a sensible Italian one.