New King George V-class battleships could take crews from older R-class ships or allow Hood to enter a major refit. A ship in reserve, repair, or refit did not have to keep her full normal crew aboard. HMS Exeter's long refit illustrates the transfer of experienced personnel to other duties. When she returned to operations, her replacement crew was still learning the ship. Crew transfers could make new hulls usable, while creating a need to rebuild proficiency aboard ships returning from prolonged work.
Notable Point · 15:32-16:56
Refits could release experienced crews for new ships
Crews from older or refitting ships could man new battleships, although HMS Exeter shows the cost of breaking up an experienced ship's company.