Britain's race for German naval bases in 1945

How badly did Britain want to destroy or seize the German Navy during the Allied advance into Germany?

Very badly: British forces prioritized naval bases and secrets, both to eliminate future naval competition and to capture technical intelligence.

British strategy at the end of the war focused on Hanover and locations tied to German naval power rather than a late bid for Berlin. Hanover carried a historical British connection, but eliminating a future maritime rival was the more practical strategic concern. Captured bases, facilities, and records could both remove enemy naval capacity and yield technical intelligence. That focus also helps explain why Allied formations encountered camps near naval sites as they pushed toward these objectives.