General Zod
Banned
Yeah, the Brits were freaked. In fairness, the German navy wasn't too out of proportion, if you view it as a defensive force to oppose the combined Franco-Russian fleets. But with British identity firmly rooted in the navy, it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Yup, they built the navy in the wrong way, and with Willy and his Weltpolitik cronies saying the wrong things. They should have acted like they effectively asked Britain's permission, agreeing about the dimensions of the HSF which left the British feel safe in a naval treaty, then making a gradual mutually-agreed buildup while Anglo-German relations blossomed from neutrality to detente to parnership to full alliance. Not seeking full parity, but Britain would have gladly accepted a HSF 35-50% of the RN, if Germany looked more and more like an ally vs. the Franco-Russians.