With the launch of Dreadnought and Invincible the race for naval supremacy intensified. Ships ballooned in size, cost, speed, and armament. From 1906-1914 the navies of the world built a combined 63 Dreadnought Battleships in a naval arms race that helped bring about the First World War. Submarines made their debut as a practical weapon of war, and destroyers grew in size and displacement with multiple torpedo launchers. After the war the cost of these fleets was so ruinous a new innovation in international diplomacy was adopted to curb spending, the Washington Naval Treaty.
Special thanks to Drachinifel for lending his voice to this project.
You can expect Episode 3 out in March.