Repulse began the Second World War as an active Home Fleet asset rather than an obsolete ship waiting for disposal. She operated with Furious after Rawalpindi was sunk, escorted the First Canadian Division to Britain, searched with Ark Royal for blockade runners, and supported the Norwegian campaign. Several deployments nearly brought Renown and Repulse together against Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, a sister-pair contest in which British 15-inch firepower might have offset the German ships' heavier protection. Continued demand for her speed and convoy value also helps explain why the Royal Navy never found a safe eighteen-month window for the comprehensive reconstruction already given to Renown.
Chapter · 2:06:31-2:12:13
Repulse hunting raiders before Force Z
Before Force Z, Repulse repeatedly escorted fast convoys and searched for German surface raiders across the Atlantic and Norwegian theatres.