Experience with naval architects and British and Japanese archives leads to a caution about interpreting design studies. A drawing can show what an attractive theoretical proposal would require and why those requirements are troublesome. It may have been prepared to explain an objection to a superior. The existence of the drawing alone does not establish that its designers supported construction. This is offered as an interpretation of the purpose of some studies, rather than a rule applying to every unbuilt ship.
Notable Point · 4:07:39-4:08:40
Why a surviving ship design may document an objection
A naval design drawing can preserve an argument against construction, so its intended purpose matters when judging an unbuilt proposal.