In this counterfactual, Gneisenau would have much greater difficulty escaping Rodney, while a Bismarck interception could pair Prince of Wales with a fully armored nine-gun battleship instead of relying on Hood. The extra speed changes which ships can reach the engagement rather than merely improving performance once firing begins. It also reduces the Royal Navy's dependence on its small number of battlecruisers for every high-speed response.
Notable Point · 1:57:45-1:59:18
A 28-knot Nelson in the Bismarck chase
Giving Nelson and Rodney 28 knots would let them join fast interception forces and radically worsen the odds for German capital-ship raiders.