Q&A · 37:40-38:10

Where an enormous interwar submarine fleet might serve

An alternate Royal Navy inventory of L-, H-, and E-class submarines raises the practical questions of whether so many boats would be built and where they could be deployed.

Question

Without the First World War, where would the Royal Navy deploy very large numbers of L-, H-, and E-class submarines?

Short answer

Their construction and deployment would depend on strategic demand and supportable stations; the nominal class totals alone do not establish a workable fleet.

Notes

Raw hull numbers are only the beginning of the problem. Strategic stations, support demands, and likely construction choices would determine whether a very large British submarine force made operational sense after a different First World War outcome.