Rodney nearly reached German ships despite a nominal speed of about 23 knots. A 28-knot Lion or 30-knot Vanguard already at speed would reduce the raiders' acceleration and separation margin, making their small top-speed advantage less useful than a paper comparison suggests.
Notable Point · 2:10:18-2:12:08
Fast battleships change the pursuit of German raiders
Additional Lions or Vanguards could convert near-misses against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau into gun engagements.