Early battlecruisers were intended to choose their fights, using speed to avoid opponents they could not defeat. That made them less risky to iterate quickly than battleships, which were expected to stand in the line and fight comparable enemy ships. British planning also extended beyond a North Sea war with Germany to possible conflict involving France, Russia, the United States, or Japan. In that global setting the battle fleet could concentrate on blockades and strategic choke points while battlecruisers attacked or protected commerce. The later Australian and New Zealand ships reflected an imperial mission that could not be reduced to the Anglo-German building race.
Notable Point · 9:58-12:01
Battlecruisers support Britain's global commerce war
Indefatigable's speed is placed within a worldwide British strategy in which battlecruisers pursue economic warfare while the battle fleet controls blockades and choke points.