The R class as an armoured convoy and base defender

The Revenge class is treated as a group of conventional battleships whose main strengths were protection and accumulated refinement. In this counterfactual, modernized R-class ships could help defend convoys against Bismarck, while their 22-knot speed makes them poorly suited to the pursuit role attempted by Prince of Wales and Repulse. At Singapore, two R-class ships could remain as a fixed deterrent while faster forces operate up the Malayan coast. Warspite, Prince of Wales, and Repulse could then form Somerville's faster Eastern Fleet group, with modernized R-class ships following as a separate force. Radar-directed gunnery and experienced crews would make a night encounter with the Kongō-class battlecruisers dangerous. The sequence explores possible employment without claiming a certain outcome.