Hood, Renown, and Repulse could outrun or outfight almost every plausible 1920s opponent outside the battle line. That combination suited trade protection, commerce interdiction, and rapid concentration across distant stations. The Royal Navy retained the type because Britain's commitments spanned the world, unlike fleets able to concentrate mainly on one ocean. For Britain, the battlecruiser was a strategic-mobility instrument as much as a tactical combatant.
Chapter · 11:53-19:31
A global warship for commerce warfare
The battlecruiser's strategic value lay in hunting or deterring almost anything short of a battleship across a worldwide maritime system.