Alexandria received many of the larger boats intended for a possible conflict with Japan because the European war's immediate demands took priority. Every submarine or carrier committed to the Mediterranean was unavailable for a crisis in the Far East. Damage off Crete prevented HMS Formidable from joining Force Z, where her air group and fighter-control experience might have improved coordination with land-based aircraft. Whether she would have saved Force Z cannot be known, but the counterfactual makes the opportunity cost of Mediterranean commitments concrete. Treaty limits on submarine and destroyer numbers made that trade-off sharper even for a navy that remained large and technically capable.
Notable Point · 1:06:29-1:08:50
Alexandria's 1st Flotilla and the Far East trade-off
The Mediterranean drew large Royal Navy submarines away from the Far Eastern deterrent role for which many had been positioned.