Balancing a hypothetical 1942 Royal Navy

If war began in 1942, how could the Royal Navy distribute its capital ships?

Even with more new ships, Britain would need to balance German, Italian, and Japanese threats while retaining ships for home waters and convoy protection.

The counterfactual estimates the effect of completed King George V, Lion, and Vanguard designs alongside modernized Queen Elizabeths, Hood, Renown, and Repulse. Depending on the building assumptions, Britain might have roughly twenty to twenty-two modern or modernized capital ships by 1942. About six could remain in home waters against the German fleet, a larger group could cover the Mediterranean against Italy and Germany, and the remaining six to eight could go to the Far East. Older R-class battleships could still cover convoy duties and free faster ships to act as a reaction force. The fleet total is less important than simultaneous theatre demands, while the extra preparation time also makes the necessary training and crewing program more plausible.