Spain's historical dreadnought program sought ships strong enough to defeat cruisers and force an opponent to commit a battleship, even if Spain could not win a major battle-fleet contest. A 14-inch, 24-knot benchmark would require a much larger investment to preserve that limited deterrent role. Russia would confront the same raised threshold after the losses of the Russo-Japanese War and Tsushima. The Gangut class compared respectably with historical contemporaries, but in this accelerated race it would enter service already below the new international standard.
Notable Point · 2:08:18-2:09:40
Spain and Russia face a higher dreadnought threshold
A faster and more heavily armed British standard would make Spain's cruiser-deterrent concept costlier and leave Russia's Gangut class behind its contemporaries.