The contemporary Nevada class offers a sharp comparison, including Nevada's turbines and Oklahoma's triple-expansion engines. The American ships combined ten 14-inch guns with very heavy protection, including turret faces substantially thicker than those of the British design. Standard-type thinking produced a slow armored mass intended to keep taking and delivering punishment. Queen Elizabeth's nominal 24-knot speed could let it choose the range against a roughly 20.5-knot opponent, though the gun and armor comparison meant the fight would not be easy. A true 28-knot Queen Elizabeth required oil firing and small-tube boilers to be incorporated from the beginning rather than retrofitted later.
Notable Point · 41:14-46:24
Nevada, armor, and Queen Elizabeth's speed margin
A comparison with the Nevada class shows two different answers to the dreadnought problem: American armor endurance against British speed and range control.