How admirals chose their flagships

Did admirals choose flagships for appearance rather than operational suitability?

Preferences mattered - Beatty liked speed and novelty - but suitability, staff space, and availability usually governed the choice.

Flagship selection could reflect personality, but an admiral still needed a ship able to carry the staff and perform the mission. Beatty gravitated toward the newest and fastest available capital ship. Jellicoe placed greater weight on operational suitability. In the modern Royal Navy, command accommodation narrows the practical choices to platforms such as Type 45 destroyers, amphibious ships, or Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. Availability may decide the issue when the preferred ship is committed elsewhere, making appearance only one minor factor among speed, role, space, and readiness.