Q&A · 1:56:41-1:56:55

Why HMS Duke of Kent would not start a naval reaction

Other navies would have little reason to answer HMS Duke of Kent because no comparable first-rate competition existed when Britain considered her.

Age Of Sail HMS Duke of Kent Naval Prestige Royal Navy

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Question

If HMS Duke of Kent had been built, how would other navies respond?

Short answer

Probably not at all; no rival was building enough to make the expensive statement necessary.

Notes

Other navies would probably make little response to a completed Duke of Kent. The reason given is that they were building little at the relevant time. That absence of an active building competition also helps explain why Britain had little incentive to construct the enormous first rate.