Battleships fought battles; cruisers exercised sea control

Which pre-dreadnought battleship do you prefer?

The Lord Nelson class among battleships, though armored cruisers better illustrate global naval war and sea control.

The Lord Nelson class is the eventual battleship choice, though the era's armored cruisers are more interesting here. Battleships concentrated armor and fighting power for the battle fleet. Similar-sized cruisers traded some of that protection for speed and fuel so they could operate across the world. The contrast separates winning a fleet battle from exercising sea control across an empire's routes.