Jellicoe's historical boiler choices for the Queen Elizabeth class were limited to machinery suppliers could already offer because he lacked money to fund a different result. In this counterfactual, May could pay Yarrow, Thornycroft, and other machinery firms to develop the equipment his faster fleet required. Small-tube boilers had already progressed to a torpedo-boat installation in 1887 and to Thornycroft's HMS Daring in 1893. An experimental cruiser would allow the Navy to test whether those smaller installations could be enlarged for heavier ships. The projected gain is machinery comparable with that of around 1920, without assuming the efficiency of Second World War boilers.
Notable Point · 1:13:53-1:16:15
Small-tube boilers needed funding to reach larger warships
Experiments in torpedo craft already existed, but public funding and an experimental cruiser could bring small-tube boilers into larger ships sooner.