The Royal Navy extended far beyond the ships committed to the Channel. Mediterranean and overseas squadrons, commissioning crews, reservists, and institutional systems would retain experience even after catastrophic losses in the home fleet. Queen Elizabeth- and Revenge-class ships at different stages of construction would give reconstruction a substantial pipeline. An opportunistic American move could also bring Japan into the conflict under the Anglo-Japanese alliance. The result would be a profoundly changed service, though still too large to dismiss as a minor navy vulnerable to immediate attack.
Chapter · 1:28:33-1:40:18
Rebuilding the Royal Navy after the Channel disaster
Heavy losses do not erase the service: worldwide squadrons, reservists, shore institutions, and fourteen capital ships already building provide the basis for rapid reconstruction.