Home oil from Purbeck could speed the dreadnought revolution

How would the Royal Navy change if the Isle of Purbeck oil field came online in 1905?

An early home supply could encourage oil firing and a faster Dreadnought, with a speculative 24-knot version raising the performance standard for rival navies.

An Isle of Purbeck oil supply available in 1905 could make oil firing an earlier choice for Royal Navy capital ships. HMS Dreadnought's machinery would depend on how early designers knew that supply was coming. A speculative oil-fired version reaches roughly 24 knots instead of 21, strengthening Fisher's emphasis on speed. Combining ten 12-inch guns with that higher speed would raise the standard rival navies had to meet and further disadvantage American semi-dreadnought designs. Russian experiments with oil firing provide a contemporary point of comparison.