Britain already had an operational concept for a fast battleship in the Queen Elizabeth class, yet the Admirals were deliberately designed as battlecruisers. British planners expected a future oceanic conflict built around manoeuvre, convoys, commerce raiders, and the protection of maritime trade. In that setting, a battlecruiser's speed and heavy armament made it useful for hunting powerful raiders and threatening enemy trade. Hood and the Admiral class addressed that next strategic problem, while cruisers and battleships performed complementary convoy and fleet roles.
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The Admiral class was designed for the next commerce war
Hood and her sisters answered an anticipated oceanic struggle over trade, where battlecruisers could hunt raiders or conduct commerce warfare themselves.