Rear Admiral Lionel Grant Tufnell, head of the British naval mission to Greece, supervised the selection process for Salamis. He reviewed ten British, four French, three German, three American, one Austrian and two Italian submissions against the same requirement. After British armour could not be sent to the German yard, he reportedly preferred Bethlehem Steel's product to the German and Italian alternatives. This common evaluation makes the Greek programme a useful comparison of what different suppliers could offer around 1912. Against the Ottoman ship that became Erin, Salamis chiefly offered greater speed: Erin carried two additional main guns, although their calibre was slightly smaller. Maintenance could alter that paper comparison, as Averof's success against the Ottoman Brandenburgs had already shown.
Notable Point · 2:09:42-2:12:24
Greece used a British mission to compare global suppliers
Rear Admiral Lionel Grant Tufnell assessed competing designs and armour supplies for Salamis, while the comparison with Erin shows why procurement quality alone could not decide a battle.