"Mr. Churchill, do we truly have no chance at all?" asked Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Minister.
Churchill's answer left everyone feeling heavy-hearted. Naturally, they did not wish to see the British Empire, which had dominated the world for centuries, decline in their hands. Yet judging by the current situation, that seemed unavoidable.
"Unless we can delay the decisive battle with the Germans until our subsequent classes of warships enter service. Only then will we stand a greater chance of victory. But the Germans clearly will not give us that much time," Churchill said.
Under the Royal Navy's shipbuilding program, several subsequent classes of warships had already been laid down. They included the new Iron Duke-class battleships, King George V-class battleships, and Lion-class battleships, twelve vessels in total. There were also three classes of battlecruisers totaling ten ships: three Renown-class battlecruisers, three Glorious-class battlecruisers, and four Hood-class battlecruisers. Among them, the Lion-class battleships and Hood-class battlecruisers had their main gun caliber increased to 406 millimeters. Their defenses had also been greatly improved over earlier warships. It was precisely because of this that the entire Royal Navy had placed enormous hopes on these cutting-edge vessels.
But distant water could not quench immediate thirst. Even with round-the-clock work, these warships would not enter service one after another until at least mid-1916, perhaps even the end of the year. And that was only if every resource could be guaranteed. The Germans had now completed their blockade of Britain. Even the Americans had recoiled before the German Prohibited Navigation Zone, making it difficult for Britain to obtain resources from abroad. Without external resources, it would be extremely difficult for the British Navy to build those warships using only the resources of the British mainland.
More importantly, the German Navy clearly could not possibly wait