Engine damage interrupts Ajax's earlier control of the engagement distance. The German ship gets within seven-inch gun range, where its secondary battery fires more continuously than the main guns. Ajax has no secondaries because the design devotes that allowance to fifteen 16-inch weapons. She stays outside four-inch range but remains exposed to the heavier secondary battery, and her speed falls to about 19 knots. The seven-inch hits damage structure and impair aiming and accuracy. A design that performed well at its preferred distance becomes vulnerable once damage prevents it from maintaining that distance.
Notable Point · 2:22:57-2:29:22
Engine damage brings Ajax within seven-inch gun range
Losing speed exposes Ajax to rapid secondary fire that damages structure and reduces fighting efficiency.