A three-knot advantage can help a fleet cross an opponent's line, but six knots can allow it to choose when and at what range to fight. Jutland shows why speed works with fleet balance: the German fleet lacked enough cruisers and torpedo craft to prevent Jellicoe from crossing its line. Adequate screening forces can contest an enemy's maneuver and turn a formal crossing into a less controlled melee, so capital-ship speed cannot be assessed in isolation. A British 24-knot standard would reshape tactics as much as ship specifications by combining freedom of movement with the supporting ships needed to exploit it.
Notable Point · 1:23:27-1:27:34
What a 24-knot battle fleet could dictate
A six-knot advantage over an 18-knot opponent could control engagement range and timing, especially when backed by adequate cruisers and destroyers.