Lutjens chose the northern HX and SC convoy routes and sent Admiral Hipper south as a diversion. He did not appreciate that the southern routes were then comparatively weakly defended, while the northern convoys had capital-ship escorts. Ramillies and Revenge operated from Halifax, and German assumptions that their protection extended only about 1,000 miles east underestimated their reach. The appearance of Ramillies with HX 106 therefore frustrated a raid governed by orders to avoid enemy capital ships. Scharnhorst tried to draw her away so Gneisenau could attack the merchantmen. Ramillies had no reason to chase: staying beside the slow convoy forced the Germans to come within her gun range if they wanted to attack it. She could also call in faster British forces, making a prolonged wait outside gun range dangerous for the raiders. British identification remained imperfect too, since Tovey initially treated the sighted German ship as Hipper.
Notable Point · 1:41:03-1:45:56
Why Ramillies did not need to chase the raiders
An old battleship could frustrate fast surface raiders by staying with its convoy, provided the attackers remained unwilling to risk serious damage.