A royal dockyard can anchor skills and prices

Would retaining a royal dockyard make capital-warship production easier?

Yes, in this assessment: continuous production and an independent price benchmark could make a royal dockyard useful.

The argument for a royal dockyard begins with a continuous flow of work and a public cost benchmark for comparison with private bids. It then considers yards whose only customer is the British government. The buyer's dependence on a sole supplier is compared with a commercial relationship that might lead to partnership or acquisition. Direct ownership is proposed as one possible way to oversee and support that essential capacity. Sheffield Forgemasters is given as an example of government intervention in a strategic supplier.