With only two new hulls, Britain needed to strengthen a battle line that could not be filled by fast ships alone. Nelson and Rodney were intended to remain largely with the Home Fleet as the most heavily armed capital ships in British service. Hood or Repulse could visit foreign ports with cruisers and display speed and elegance, while their hosts heard that battleships with nine 16-inch guns waited at home. Overseas presence and home-fleet strength thus carried the same deterrent message. A slower Nelson could serve that strategy even though F3 promised greater operational flexibility.
Notable Point · 53:40-55:11
Nelson as the home-fleet apex behind Hood's prestige
Britain chose two slow, heavily armed battleships to strengthen the battle line and make Hood's overseas appearances imply an even more formidable force at home.