Fighting for control of the sea differs from exercising command through continuing operations. Battleships are designed to defeat enemy battleships, while battlecruisers use speed for commerce protection, raider hunting, commerce attack, and fleet scouting. A scouting battlecruiser needs to survive an encounter with enemy capital ships long enough to report their position. Fast carriers and battlecruisers can subsequently operate together as striking groups when their speeds are compatible. A battlecruiser escort would offer the carrier protection against the kind of surface attack that sank Glorious.
Notable Point · 2:29:18-2:30:44
Battlecruisers and the exercise of sea command
Battlecruiser speed supports commerce operations and scouting, while a fast heavy escort can protect a carrier against enemy surface ships.