At the onset of World War I, how many state-of-the-art ships did Britain have in the Grand Fleet?

At the onset of World War I, Britain possessed a well-developed naval capacity, which included a significant number of state-of-the-art ships in the Grand Fleet. The Grand Fleet was formed primarily to challenge the German High Seas Fleet and was a critical component of British maritime strategy during the war.

Estimates and historical analysis suggest that the Grand Fleet consisted of around 30 to 40 battleships at this time. This number reflects Britain's strategy of maintaining naval superiority and being well-prepared for potential conflicts on the high seas. The Grand Fleet's strength allowed Britain to exert control over important shipping routes and to deter enemy naval operations effectively.

Therefore, the range of 30 to 40 accurately represents the naval strength Britain held at the beginning of the war, making this the correct choice. This number takes into account advances in shipbuilding and naval technology that were prevalent at the time, which contributed to the effectiveness of the fleet.