Saint names carried associations with French, Portuguese, and Spanish ships that made them an unlikely choice for new British capital ships. Religious politics supplied another objection: perceived Catholic influence could provoke opposition in Britain. The navy also had many established names it preferred to reuse. A tentative explanation links the saint proposal to Geddes, but distinguishes that possible suggestion from formal consideration by the ship-naming committee. The names actually submitted to the committee remain unidentified here.
Notable Point · 37:31-39:56
Saint names, religious politics, and the naming committee
Religious and national associations complicated saint names, while the suggested origin of the proposal remains tentative.