Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 27:24-28:02

Revenge-class savings across a building programme

A modest saving per Revenge-class battleship became a larger sum when applied across eight planned ships.

Queen Elizabeth Class BattleshipsRevenge Class BattleshipsRoyal NavyWarship Design
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Question

Why was the Revenge class treated as cheaper when its unit cost was close to the Queen Elizabeth class?

Short answer

The quoted saving of about £300,000 per ship becomes £2.4 million across eight hulls.

Notes

The figures quoted in the question imply a saving of about £300,000 per ship. Across eight planned hulls, that becomes £2.4 million compared with eight more Queen Elizabeths or improved versions of that design. A small difference in unit cost could therefore matter at programme level. Political concern over apparently modest savings helps explain the cheaper design's attraction.