R-class ordering and naval-race signaling

Were all eight R-class battleships necessary as a political demonstration that Britain could outbuild Germany?

The case is weaker because Britain first ordered four and added four only after further German construction, rather than ordering eight as one deliberate signal.

The question argues that eight R-class battleships demonstrated Britain could outbuild Germany and thereby exposed the German naval race as futile. The Royal Navy did not begin with a single commitment to all eight ships. It ordered four and then added four more after Germany continued building. An initial order for eight might support the signaling argument more directly, but the historical sequence makes the later ships a response within the arms race rather than one preplanned demonstration. Procurement timing matters when interpreting the political purpose of a warship class.