The strict ship swap removes Prince of Wales and initially leaves Repulse as Tom Phillips's flagship. Repulse remained a valuable fast capital ship, but her radios and other systems had not been modernized enough for a 1941 task-force headquarters. That deficiency matters because Force Z would need to coordinate a carrier, destroyers, aircraft, and potentially multinational reinforcements. The command problem therefore has to be solved before the counterfactual fleet can exploit its greater striking power.
Notable Point · 42:18-43:42
Repulse lacked the systems for a 1941 task-force flagship
Removing Prince of Wales leaves Repulse as the obvious command ship, but her radios and modernization were inadequate for a 1941 task-force headquarters.