Service-life design matters more here than the initial specifications alone. The R class was only about seven metres shorter and 0.6 metres narrower than the Queen Elizabeth class, yet its cramped internal arrangement sharply reduced useful margin. Hull size, strength, and life expectancy govern how much new machinery, ammunition, fuel, and protection a ship can accept during later refits. Aircraft-carrier hangars and lifts follow the same rule: their physical dimensions set the practical air-group limit regardless of operational ambition. A modest increase in hull size at construction can preserve decades of modernization options.
Notable Point · 6:21-11:10
R-class hull margin and refits
The R-class discussion explains why hull size, internal space, and modernization margin mattered more than the initial weapon fit.