Britain's limited capital-ship force left the County cruisers to provide much of its naval presence overseas. The Nelson class, its only new capital ships after the First World War, prioritised armour over the speed needed for distant cruising missions. Battleships could still protect convoys by making the risk of damage unacceptable to a surface raider. Cruisers covered the far-flung representative work for which those slow, valuable ships were poorly suited. Spain's three small dreadnoughts had already dwindled to two before the Civil War. Its large cruisers consequently had to combine overseas representation with a greater share of the fleet's fighting role.
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Why Britain and Spain relied on cruisers overseas
Britain relied on Counties for distant naval presence, while Spain's large cruisers also had to carry much of its fleet's fighting strength.