The Royal Navy kept its battleships concentrated in particular areas. Moving forces to a distant station took time, even when the navy had ships available. A deployment toward Hong Kong involved resupply at Singapore and a lengthy onward passage. Local naval strength therefore had to be considered alongside the time needed to bring reinforcements from elsewhere.
Notable Point · 3:37-3:58
Reinforcing the Far East took time and resupply
Battleships were concentrated in particular areas, while reinforcing distant stations involved long passages and resupply at Singapore on the way to Hong Kong.