Sydney adds eleven days to the fleet's deployment

Nelson and Rodney were laid down in 1922, before the Far East strategy crystallized, so the scenario keeps their historical designs. Their quoted range of 7,000 nautical miles at 16 knots suggests that a fleet bound for Sydney would need a lower cruising speed or additional fuel stops. Using 16 knots for comparison gives about fourteen days from Suez to Singapore and twenty-five days to Sydney. The Singapore plan sent the battle fleet through Addu Atoll, while battlecruisers and carriers went via Trincomalee. Oilers would meet the forces at selected anchorages, including Cam Ranh Bay, preserving the fast oilers accompanying the fleet for later operations. Singapore's defenders could plan around roughly three weeks before relief, whereas reaching Sydney and then moving north pushed the required endurance toward months. The longer route would require earlier dispatch, more fuel, and stronger defences to hold until the fleet arrived.