Supporting cruisers complicate attacks on a task group's main asset

A second-class protected cruiser exercises presence differently from a single large heavy cruiser because it works among supporting ships around the main asset. Each escort may be easier to defeat individually, but together they complicate the attacker's allocation of effort. Concentrating on the capital unit leaves six-inch guns and torpedoes aboard the supporting ships free to act. Engaging those escorts diverts attention and weapons from the formation's decisive target. Task-group defence depends on mutually supporting threats as well as the strength of the principal ship.