Britain could present capital-ship reductions as a concession while bargaining for the cruiser tonnage it actually needed. The Royal Navy expected trade protection to require numerous cruisers that could hunt surface raiders while the battle fleet concentrated elsewhere. Coronel and the Falklands supplied the First World War precedent. Gibraltar, Malta, and Alexandria could help contain Italy, while the Panama Canal approaches and Singapore mattered in a war with Japan. Blockade plans against Germany faced the same need to find raiders that had escaped into the world's shipping routes. Raw battleship totals were a poor guide to Britain's interwar force-structure priorities.
Chapter · 5:40-8:12
Why Britain preferred cruiser numbers
Britain could concede old battleships while bargaining for the numerous cruisers needed to defend trade, hunt surface raiders, and support a concentrated battle fleet.