Competition for the largest or most capable individual battleship could coexist with exchanges of machinery and technical knowledge. One or two outstanding ships did not necessarily threaten an opponent with a balanced fleet of battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo craft. A construction program large enough to prevent that opponent winning a war posed a more direct security problem. This distinction helps explain why the international competition over ship quality could remain less antagonistic than the Anglo-German contest over numbers.
Notable Point · 46:59-47:46
Why a few exceptional battleships posed a different threat
A small number of prestige ships could be tolerated more easily than a building program threatening an opponent's ability to win a war.