The N3 design did not need to chase its opponent. It was the solid, advancing hammer around which the Royal Navy could fight while moving from its prewar fleet toward a new postwar force. Its task was to keep coming forward and threaten destruction, not to match every fast opponent knot for knot. This separates tactical speed from the strategic function of a heavily protected battle-line core.
Notable Point · 4:48-5:47
N3 battleships as the Royal Navy's battle-line hammer
Speed would not make the Caracciolos decisive against N3 battleships, whose role was to provide a heavily armed and armored center for the British battle line.