Berwick was more than an extra cruiser hull transferred by Operation Coat. As a Kent-subclass County-class heavy cruiser, she carried eight 8-inch guns as well as 4-inch anti-aircraft weapons and close-range defences. Armour boxes protected her magazines, and her pre-war modernization added plating around the boiler rooms. Those features help explain why moving Berwick east increased the Mediterranean Fleet's combat resilience as well as its numerical strength.
Notable Point · 26:24-28:42
Berwick added a modernized County-class cruiser
Berwick's eight-inch battery, anti-aircraft weapons, magazine protection, and added machinery-space armour made her a substantial eastward reinforcement.