Inland obstacles were backed by Royal Navy forces held ready against invasion. The Home Fleet concentration included Rodney, Nelson, Hood, anti-aircraft cruisers, and a destroyer flotilla, with HMS Revenge available from Plymouth. These ships would give Britain a powerful mobile response if German transports and escorts crossed the Channel. Beach and canal defenses were only part of the plan because an attacker also had to survive the fleet assembled behind them.
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The Royal Navy's heavy anti-invasion backstop
Britain's canal stop lines formed only one layer of defense; capital ships, cruisers, and destroyers were also positioned to attack a German invasion fleet.