If dreadnoughts had not appeared early, would Britain build turbine-powered Royal Sovereign-style battleships?
Short answerProbably improved Lord Nelson-type ships at first, but the same advances in ranging, guns, and hulls would still press toward a dreadnought-like solution.
NotesWithout the immediate all-big-gun revolution, the Royal Navy could still fit turbines to an enlarged Lord Nelson-style mixed-battery battleship. That ship would gain propulsion efficiency without escaping the fire-control difficulties created by several heavy calibres. Improvements in ranging, gun performance, and the ability to build larger hulls were all converging at the same time. Turbines were therefore one enabling technology rather than the sole cause of Dreadnought. Delaying the type changes the transitional ship, but the broader technical pressures still push fleets toward an all-big-gun design.