After reports that merchant ships had been sunk around 15 or 16 March, King George V was dispatched to patrol the reported area. This worked-up 28-knot battleship was considered capable of confronting Scharnhorst and Gneisenau without another capital ship beside her. The deployment was still shadow boxing because the Germans were unlikely to remain after their attacks had revealed the location. Britain could send powerful forces to a reported contact while still struggling to bring the faster-moving raiders to battle. Information delay mattered alongside relative firepower in the surface-raider problem.
Notable Point · 1:29:22-1:31:07
King George V chased reports rather than the raiders
King George V was sent to the latest sinking area, but the mobile raiders had probably departed before Britain's heavy response arrived.