Britain's wartime use of foreign naval orders provides an example of practical fleet expansion. Ships under construction for other customers in British yards could be brought into Royal Navy service when war began in 1939. Peacetime restrictions on taking over those ships receive less weight in the explanation than the immediate need for vessels. The example supports a counterfactual argument that the navy would readily accept an unexpectedly available, capable battleship.
Notable Point · 5:38:29-5:39:24
Britain requisitioned foreign warships in its yards in 1939
The outbreak of war turned foreign naval orders in British yards into immediate Royal Navy assets despite peacetime rules.