Trade protection supplies the income needed for construction and repair. The game's economy makes the connection explicit: once trade revenue falls, capital ships become unaffordable before the fleet even reaches battle. Six battleships are under construction and two more are being repaired, so the programme depends on wartime revenue continuing. The sequence links maritime commerce directly to the state's ability to build and sustain naval power.
Notable Point · 1:08-1:25
Why trade protection underpins the naval budget
The campaign opens with a blunt force-planning rule: trade protection must stay funded because commerce pays for the battle fleet.