The cruisers had entered service at an awkward point in the refit cycle. A slightly earlier or later build date might have brought a more substantial modernization before or during the war. They remained usable in front-line roles, especially early in the conflict, but spent much of it in secondary theaters. Those assignments still mattered to a navy fighting across several oceans. Abandoning waters where Britain had maintained a presence for centuries would have left the enemy room to operate and created new strategic problems.
Notable Point · 5:10-6:16
Why older cruisers still mattered in secondary theaters
Older cruisers illustrate why a global navy cannot abandon distant sea areas merely because its newest ships are concentrated in the main theaters.