 In November 1918 , the Australian Minister for the Navy , Sir Joseph Cook , had asked Admiral Lord Jellicoe to draw up a scheme for the Empire 's naval defence . Jellicoe set out on a tour of the Empire in the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand in February 1919 . He presented his report to the Australian government in August 1919 . In a section of the report classified as secret , he advised that the interests of the British Empire and Japan would inevitably clash . He called for the creation of a British Pacific Fleet strong enough to counter the Imperial Japanese Navy , which he believed would require 8 battleships , 8 battlecruisers , 4 aircraft carriers , 10 cruisers , 40 destroyers , 36 submarines and supporting auxiliaries . 
