A modernised battlecruiser at Savo Island

How might Savo Island change if Australia retained a modernised Renown or Repulse?

A radar-equipped battlecruiser could give the Allies a much stronger fighting and command asset, making a reversal of the historical result plausible.

The scenario assumes that Australia retains Renown or Repulse and pays for a reconstruction comparable to Renown's wartime configuration. Heavy guns, radar, and improved fire control could give the Allied force a much stronger position against the Japanese cruisers at Savo Island. A battlecruiser flagship also raises the possibility of a more senior Royal Navy commander and a clearer chain of command. Instead of leaving the patrol to attend a conference elsewhere, that commander could call the other officers aboard the flagship. Officers with experience against Germany and Italy would bring combat experience and less reason to assume an easy technological or psychological superiority over Japan. Those proposed changes make a reversal of the historical result plausible within the scenario.