The comparison distinguishes top speed from the speed a fleet can sustain economically across an operation. A 30-knot opponent has only a narrow margin over ten British ships capable of 28 knots. Keeping that margin may require sustained maximum-power steaming instead of normal cruising speed. The resulting fuel and endurance penalty turns a two-knot paper advantage into a strategic constraint on where the faster ship can operate or escape.
Notable Point · 15:18-15:38
Why a small speed margin can cost operational radius
A nominally faster enemy may have to run continuously at maximum speed to stay clear of a 28-knot British battle line, sharply reducing its useful radius.