The Queen Elizabeth class is described as an early attempt at a fast battleship that did not reach its full potential. Designers retained conventional boilers instead of adopting the small-tube boilers considered during development. A slightly longer hull might also have supported a more favorable speed result. Those changes might have produced 26 knots more reliably and perhaps approached 28 knots under maximum conditions. The example shows how conservative choices in machinery and hull form can limit an otherwise advanced operational concept.
Notable Point · 1:05:57-1:07:26
How conservative choices limited the Queen Elizabeth class
Boiler and hull-form choices kept the Queen Elizabeth class from fully realizing the fast-battleship concept considered during design.