The alternate operation depends on fleet position and warning time. It becomes more attractive after the German fleet has been neutralized. Earlier pre-positioning might place British ships close enough to the Skagerrak to act, but the deployment could itself give Germany a casus belli. Timing and political signalling therefore matter as much as the ships available.
Notable Point · 43:00-44:12
Warning time and the German fleet problem
A planning answer weighs whether enough warning could let Britain pre-position a fleet near the Skagerrak without handing Germany a pretext.