Hood and the LCS as ships burdened by impossible ideals

How did HMS Hood and the Independence- and Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships fall short of an ideal that was impossible to meet?

The critique centres on restricting Hood's independent manoeuvre and demanding high LCS performance at low cost while failing to enforce industrial cooperation.

Alex's criticism of Hood concerns the gap between her image as an all-dominant imperial flagship and the freedom of manoeuvre he considers essential to her battlecruiser role. He argues that Hood and Prince of Wales should have manoeuvred independently, while acknowledging the gunnery reasons for operating as a division. King George V and Rodney's differing handling and engagement patterns during Bismarck's final battle provide the comparison. The LCS criticism concerns demanding performance on a limited budget and expecting several defence manufacturers to cooperate without strong authority enforcing that cooperation. The car analogy is Corvette Stingray performance on a Honda Civic budget.