Furious offered Force Z a different kind of deterrence

A classroom tabletop scenario paired HMS Furious with Repulse instead of sending Prince of Wales as the core of Force Z. Furious was no longer the Royal Navy's leading carrier, yet her fighters gave the force organic air defence and a wider set of ways to evade or disrupt Japanese operations. Success meant remaining active long enough to delay an attack on Singapore until the Eastern Fleet could form. The scenario illustrates the difference between deploying a prestigious battleship symbol and deploying a force designed to create operational problems the enemy must spend time solving.