Repulse manoeuvred effectively during the attack on Force Z. She avoided hits for long enough that the eventual strike appears to have been severe bad luck rather than a foregone conclusion. The ship came close to surviving the attack intact. The historical result should not be treated as proof that her loss was unavoidable from the outset.
Notable Point · 1:18:44-1:19:03
Repulse's loss was not mechanically inevitable
Repulse evaded attacks effectively enough that her destruction appears to have been a close outcome rather than an automatic fate.