How shipbuilding could accelerate radar, welding, and gunnery

Naval spending reaches into the research base behind a warship. Different steels and armor require metallurgical work and production development, while ships place technically skilled personnel beside machinery that can be modified in service. Continued long-range gunnery work might accelerate radar rangefinding, although earlier development cannot be established. Navies could justify investment in welding through possible savings in displacement and improvements in armor integrity, even when merchant operators found the unfamiliar technology too expensive. A qualitative race would also encourage work on loading systems, recoil effects, shells, and armor. The economic effect therefore reaches beyond jobs in the building yard.