A stronger initial class might have driven Germany out of the Anglo-German naval race before eight years of competition reshaped European politics. That would not automatically prevent the First World War, but it could alter Britain's relationship with Germany, Russia, France, and the Entente. The new performance benchmark would also change the qualitative contest involving Japan, Italy, and the United States. An increase from 18 boilers to roughly 24 is proposed as the way to reach 24 knots. The counterfactual stays within components available in 1905 because Dreadnought was laid down and completed at exceptional speed. A 16-inch-gunned ship capable of 30 knots is rejected as outside what could reasonably be built then.
Notable Point · 1:10:56-1:16:59
How a stronger 1906 programme might have changed the naval race
The counterfactual follows the consequences if three or four 24-knot, 13.5-inch-gunned British battleships had made matching the new standard prohibitively costly in 1906.