Why Chile might ask about Vanguard without buying her

Was Chile genuinely interested in buying HMS Vanguard, and what use would it have had for her?

Interest was plausible for prestige, presence, and maritime-patrol reasons, but the battleship's operating burden made a purchase unlikely.

A battleship could serve as a national-status asset and a conspicuous platform for showing the flag along a long coastline. Chile also had interests in fisheries protection and maritime presence that made a large ship politically attractive. Those benefits did not erase the enormous manpower, maintenance, fuel, ammunition, and dockyard requirements of Vanguard. Chilean interest is therefore plausible, while a completed sale remains unlikely.