Germany was not Britain's strongest historical naval opponent

Napoleon's fleet is judged a more balanced opponent for Britain than Germany's surface fleet in the Second World War. The Italian Navy was capable but largely confined to the Mediterranean, apart from its submarines. Germany lacked the naval resources to place Britain under comparable pressure. Even if Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had defeated Renown, the damage might have allowed pursuing destroyers or later British capital ships to catch them.