A British two-ocean fleet, reinforced by French and Dutch forces, could cover home, Mediterranean, and Far Eastern stations. Britain could answer German expansion by building more ships from established yards and support infrastructure rather than through a single named program. It retained much of the industrial system developed before and during the First World War, while Germany had lost capacity under the Treaty of Versailles. Plan Z required orders for hulls and the creation of the yards and maintenance network needed to build and sustain them.
Notable Point · 3:17-5:35
Two-ocean planning and the infrastructure answer to Plan Z
British capacity to expand from an established shipbuilding base is contrasted with Germany's ambitious Plan Z fleet proposal.