In August 1939 Rodney developed steering problems as European tensions rose and entered Rosyth for repair. Dockyard staff did not find a definitive cause, but the visit also included bottom cleaning. Fouling affected more than the ship's headline speed because additional drag consumed fuel and reduced the distance she could sustain at useful power. For a Nelson-class battleship already short of knots, restoring a clean underwater hull improved tactical mobility and cruising efficiency when wartime readiness mattered most. A later intelligence-cover argument is more speculative, but this immediate engineering benefit does not depend on that inference.
Notable Point · 1:01:16-1:02:26
Steering trouble created a chance to recover speed
As war approached, an unresolved steering fault sent Rodney to dock, where bottom cleaning reduced drag and improved both speed and endurance.