Capital-ship losses also destroy decades of experience

What made the loss of Hood, Prince of Wales, and Repulse so costly beyond the ships themselves?

The crews were harder to replace than the hulls, especially senior officers whose professional experience had taken decades to build.

A viewer contrasts the losses aboard Hood, Prince of Wales, and Repulse and totals more than two thousand sailors, including senior admirals and experienced captains. The people are the hardest part of a capital-ship loss to replace. A new ship can be built, but the accumulated professional experience of careers reaching roughly forty years cannot be recreated on the same schedule. Capital-ship attrition removes command knowledge and trained personnel along with tonnage.