Sheerness did not appear on the 1909 list of principal docks able to support the selected large warships. Reaching several older facilities required a vessel to enter the basin, turn, and align with a narrow dock entrance. That manoeuvre becomes increasingly risky as capital ships grow longer and more valuable. A dock's approaches and turning room matter as much as its internal dimensions.
Notable Point · 49:38-51:02
Sheerness shows why dock access matters as much as dock size
Sheerness's older docks required difficult turns that made them poor choices for large, expensive capital ships even apart from their dimensions.