The case for turbo-electric battleships

Why choose turbo-electric propulsion?

Flexible electrical distribution could let different generating units power any shaft, support maintenance and improve resilience under damage. The battleship comparison weighs those advantages against efficient sustained steaming.

Drachinifel prefers geared turbines for battleships because sustained high-speed steaming places less value on rapid acceleration. Alex Clarke favors turbo-electric battleships instead, arguing that a common electrical main could let any generating unit supply any propeller shaft. At cruising power, one unit could remain in operation while others underwent maintenance, which would help large ships deployed far from suitable repair facilities. Machinery subdivision and flexible power distribution could also improve resilience under damage and ease armor allocation. The generating capacity offers a further prospect of supplying later electrical demands such as radar.