What would happen if every ship on the Royal Navy's 1939 roster appeared today?
Short answerMost ships would be obsolete, but select hulls might be adapted and the people arriving with the fleet would transform British politics.
NotesHistorical value differs sharply from present-day combat utility. Most hulls lack the sensors, weapons, and survivability needed for modern service, although the then-new Ark Royal is singled out as a possible modernization candidate. If the scenario includes crews and dependants, several million displaced people could enter Britain at once. The practical problem would therefore move quickly from fleet tactics to housing, integration, voting power, and defence politics.