Future British capital ships could have grown beyond G3 and N3 only if dry docks, canals, and related infrastructure grew with them. Foreign construction might have created political pressure for such investment after the First World War. In this interpretation, the Navigation Acts allowed government to harness merchants' self-interest for maritime capacity that also served the navy. Commercial regulation could therefore shift part of the cost of strategic infrastructure away from a direct tax programme. The passage makes shore facilities and political economy part of the capital-ship design story.
Notable Point · 34:10-35:43
Navigation Acts as a way to finance naval infrastructure
The possible growth beyond G3 and N3 leads to a wider point about using commercial rules to make private maritime interests support infrastructure needed by the Royal Navy.