How Ark Royal and Renown balanced Force H

Ark Royal spent much of her Force H service as an elusive target that the Axis sought but struggled to catch. Renown supplied fast capital-ship protection while the carrier provided reconnaissance and striking reach. The less extensively modernized battleship Malaya sometimes joined them to add heavier gun power, although she could not match their speed and agility. Force H worked as a balanced formation in which the carrier, capital ships, cruiser, and destroyers covered different vulnerabilities.