Ajax's speed lets her choose a distance that suits both her armor and her main guns. The same principle underlies the battlecruiser comparison: protection depends partly on keeping the opponent outside its most effective firing conditions. In this simulation Ajax holds about 13.5 kilometres, roughly 200 metres beyond the German seven-inch battery's reach. Those secondary guns contribute nothing while the faster ship maintains that separation. The advantage depends on retaining enough speed to control the distance.
Notable Point · 2:03:55-2:05:58
Speed, armor, and staying outside secondary range
Ajax uses speed to balance gun performance against protection while keeping the opponent's seven-inch battery out of range.