British continuity is contrasted with American cycles of construction, evaluation, and renewed ordering. Germany tried to expand after years with little battleship work, leaving yards to rebuild capacity just as hulls, armour, and machinery were becoming more demanding. A shipbuilder facing future gaps must spread fixed costs across current contracts and find less efficient work for expensive slipways and specialised plant. Continuous orders preserve skilled labour, engineering knowledge, investment, and affordable surge capacity between launches.
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Why shipyards need continuous orders
The final construction comparison explains how intermittent orders raise costs and prevent yards from building the skills and capacity needed for rapid naval expansion.