Philip Watts is identified as the naval architect responsible for HMS Dreadnought, the Queen Elizabeth class, and the Lord Nelson class. Fisher championed concepts and pushed them forward, but a Third Sea Lord normally did not personally design ships. The Director of Naval Construction had the technical authority to lead design discussions at the summit of Britain's naval-architecture profession. Designers could accept lower public-service salaries for the post's patriotic and professional value, then carry its prestige into international and private-yard consultancy after retirement.
Chapter · 33:02-36:42
Philip Watts and the design of Dreadnought-era warships
The Director of Naval Construction, not Jackie Fisher alone, is placed at the center of Dreadnought and capital-ship design.