What happens if Hood and Prince of Wales appear today while two modern British destroyers take their place in 1941?
Short answerThe Type 45s would launch Naval Strike Missiles as quickly as possible, while the returned historical ships would become immediate preservation priorities.
NotesThe hypothetical exchange uses Type 45 destroyers as the nearest modern British equivalent to the question's cruisers and assumes ships fitted with Naval Strike Missile. Their immediate response would be to line up and fire those missiles as quickly as possible. Hood and Prince of Wales, arriving in the present, would attract urgent efforts to preserve them. Their proposed museum use raises questions about asbestos and where ships of that size could be berthed. The expected competition between possible locations rests on their appeal as tourist attractions.