"General Beatty, I trust your professional judgment as a Vice Admiral. The Germans may indeed become the greatest adversary the British Empire has faced in centuries. However, even if that is the case, the Royal Navy must spare no effort in defeating them. The British Empire's maritime supremacy must not be lost. You both fully understand what that would mean for the Empire. Therefore, we cannot lose this battle — we simply cannot afford to!" Churchill said with grave seriousness.
"Yes, First Lord!" Both Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty nodded emphatically.
They were well aware of the vital importance of sea power to the British Empire. The Empire's global dominance over the past centuries was entirely due to its control of the seas. Without it, given Britain's relatively small landmass and population, world supremacy would have been impossible.
"First Lord, given that the German Navy is more formidable than we anticipated, I suggest we prepare thoroughly before engaging them in a decisive battle. Our 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships are not yet completed. Although the shipyards have sped up production, it will likely be the end of this year or early next year before they are fully operational. As for the 'Revenge-class' battleships, according to the current schedule, they won't be ready until the end of next year. Therefore, I propose that the Cabinet allocate additional funding to accelerate the construction of the 'Revenge-class' ships, aiming for them to be ready by early next year. This would give us ten battleships equipped with 381mm main guns, significantly improving our chances against the German Navy." Admiral John Jellicoe suggested.
Churchill nodded in agreement. Faced with such a formidable adversary, strengthening the Royal Navy's capabilities was undoubtedly the best course of action.
"I will bring this up with the Prime Minister. We should be able to secure the Cabinet's support. No matter what, the British Empire must be fully prepared to face such a powerful enemy," Churchill said.
At that moment, a secretary knocked and entered to report, "First Lord, the Prime Minister has summoned you immediately."
"It must be about the sinking of the battlecruiser 'Lion.' I will explain everything to the Prime Minister. As for you, head back to Scapa Flow early tomorrow morning. But I urge you to quickly devise a way to deal with the German raiding fleet. The British Empire's sea lanes must not be severed. The consequences would be dire." Churchill spoke with a stern expression.
Britain, being highly reliant on maritime trade, would be severely crippled if its sea lanes were cut off. Essential industrial materials would be unable to reach Britain, and even food supplies would run dry. Such a scenario would not only drastically reduce Britain's war potential but could also spark internal unrest. At that point, it would be difficult to even continue the war, let alone defeat Germany. Without Britain's support, relying solely on France and Russia to defeat the fierce German forces would be an impossible dream.
After Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty left, Churchill immediately took a car to the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street to brief Prime Minister Asquith on the sinking of the 'Lion.'
When Churchill arrived, he found the meeting room already packed. The key members of the Cabinet had gathered, clearly very concerned about the Royal Navy's losses earlier that afternoon.
"Good evening, Prime Minister, Ministers," Churchill greeted them before taking his seat.
Prime Minister Asquith nodded. "Winston, did the Navy fail in its efforts to suppress the German raiding fleet?"
"Prime Minister, to be precise, we have suffered a temporary setback," Churchill did not deny the situation.
"How can that be? If the safety of our sea lanes isn't guaranteed, large quantities of supplies will not make it back to Britain. That would create serious problems," Home Secretary McKenna said disapprovingly.
"Indeed, Winston. Our sea lanes cannot be disrupted. Our domestic food reserves would last no more than three months. After that, people will go hungry, and social unrest will follow. We could very well be thrown out of office by an angry populace," Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd George added.
"Gentlemen, I do not deny that the current situation has become highly unfavorable to us. But this is only temporary. The Royal Navy is working on a solution to counter the German threat. I ask that you trust the Royal Navy — soon, we will defeat the German raiders and secure our sea lanes," Churchill assured them.
"Winston, did the Navy lose a battlecruiser this afternoon? What happened?" Prime Minister Asquith cut to the chase.
"Yes, Prime Minister. This afternoon, the battlecruiser 'Lion' was unfortunately sunk. It is indeed a tragic loss. Frankly, the Royal Navy did not expect that what we considered our most powerful battlecruiser could be sunk so easily by the Germans. The German ship that sank 'Lion' was of a similar tonnage and combat capability to ours. And this occurred even in a two-on-one situation, yet 'Lion' was still sunk. To avoid further losses, 'Princess Royal' withdrew from the engagement." Churchill recounted with a somber expression.
"What? How could this have happened?"
"My God! How can the German ships be so powerful? In a two-on-one fight, does that mean our ships are no match for theirs at all?"
"This battle seems to be going terribly for us. Can the Royal Navy truly defeat the Germans?"
The Cabinet members were taken aback, many of them gasping in shock. While they had heard about the loss of the 'Lion,' they were unaware of the full details. Hearing Churchill's account filled them with an overwhelming sense of unease.
"Winston, is the Royal Navy unable to deal with the Germans?" Prime Minister Asquith frowned deeply. This was clearly a heavy blow to him.
"Prime Minister, the Royal Navy is working on a solution. However, we need more support. The Navy is requesting that the 'Queen Elizabeth-class' and 'Revenge-class' battleships be operational by early next year. This would greatly increase our chances. The Germans won't give us much time," Churchill warned.
In the face of such a formidable enemy, the British Cabinet did not question the Navy's requests and immediately approved a significant increase in funding to ensure that both classes of powerful battleships could enter service as soon as possible.