Q&A ยท 5:10:04-5:16:10

Which 1939 Royal Navy ships are worth duplicating

The choices expand from scarce carriers and modern capital ships to whole destroyer flotillas after the copying rule is clarified.

Question

What should the First Sea Lord duplicate if a remote could copy Royal Navy warships in 1939?

Short answer

The proposed list includes Ark Royal, modern battleships and battlecruisers, large destroyer classes, Black Swan sloops and Town-class cruisers.

Notes

The hypothetical remote initially leaves uncertainty over whether it supplies ten copies in total or ten with each use. With a tight limit, the preferred choices include at least two Ark Royals, Nelson and Rodney, and either a modernised Warspite or the approaching King George V. The clarification that each use makes ten copies greatly expands the list. Ark Royal, Nelson-class battleships, Hood and King George V are joined by large destroyers in additional flotilla-sized groups. A further prompt adds Black Swan sloops and cruiser possibilities, with Towns preferred among the light-cruiser suggestions. These are choices within a magical duplication scenario, without a worked account of how the enlarged fleet would be manned or sustained.