The Russian Rurik may have supplied a convenient justification for trying the very large British Powerful class rather than posing a threat that truly required it. In this reading, pairs and small classes allowed the Royal Navy and its yards to learn about a design before committing to a larger production run. A single experimental ship revealed too little, while a pair created comparative experience at a cost the Admiralty could still defend. The approach was weak for an immediate war because a heterogeneous fleet might not place the right ship in the right ocean. It could nevertheless preserve technological options during uncertainty and leave proven designs ready for rapid production if war became likely.
Chapter · 38:16-1:06:38
The Powerful class and experimental cruiser building
The Powerful class becomes a case study in why the Royal Navy built small experimental batches when technology was moving fast and a major war did not appear imminent.