Was compromising on the R class worthwhile if it helped get more ships and cruiser funding approved?
Short answerThe politics made sense tactically, but the cheaper design sacrificed too much strategic utility for a global navy.
NotesThe Royal Navy tried to satisfy the Treasury with cheaper ships, then lost strategic value through that compromise. The Admiralty initially sought six battleships, accepted four on the understanding that German escalation could unlock four more, and used the lower unit price to protect cruiser and destroyer funding. That bargaining made tactical sense inside an annual estimates fight, but it encouraged a ship optimized too narrowly for the German battle line. Britain still had worldwide imperial commitments, so a capital ship with limited speed, range, and modernization margin carried a larger strategic opportunity cost. Apparently successful budget arithmetic produced a fleet poorly matched to its full mission set.