What would happen if most British ships at Trafalgar were replaced by later steel ships bearing their names?
Short answerThe replacement fleet would be overwhelmingly destructive, with Battle-class destroyers offered as particularly effective examples.
NotesThe scenario excludes Victory, Achilles, and Tonnant and substitutes later namesakes for the other British ships. Battle-class destroyers prompt a comparison between rapid-firing 4.5-inch guns and much larger 15-inch weapons. In this hypothetical assessment, the smaller shells would burst in wooden ships while the larger ones could pass straight through. The point concerns shell behaviour as well as the size of the gun.