How armour handling and yard capability shaped warship construction

A shipyard's capacity depended on its equipment and construction methods as well as the size of ship it could accommodate. Internal armour, as in Nelson and Rodney, required the construction yard to manoeuvre heavy plates into position. A single suitable crane offered easier control than a tandem lift using two cranes. External armour could instead be added during fitting out, as in the King George V class. Submarine construction had similar differences: some yards could handle large pressure hulls and their associated systems, while others were better suited to medium or small boats. Wartime production therefore needed designs that could use these different levels of capability alongside competing shipbuilding demands. The continued construction of corvettes alongside frigates and sloops followed the same logic. More demanding warship construction and internal subdivision generally gave a sloop greater survivability than a frigate or corvette of similar size.