The modified ships are attractive reinforcements for the battlecruiser force, making it harder for Jellicoe to retain them with the Grand Fleet. Their intended role is to protect the battle fleet and prevent an enemy crossing its T. The battlecruiser force also lacks sufficient space for gunnery practice. In this critical assessment, Beatty's rank and influence should have allowed him to secure better arrangements earlier, and practice away from his influence would be preferable. His acceptance of the existing situation left Jellicoe to intervene. The new fast battleships would therefore face competing deployment demands even while the training problem remained.
Notable Point · 1:19:25-1:20:24
Competing demands on fast battleships and gunnery training
Ships well suited to protecting the Grand Fleet could become difficult to retain there when the battlecruiser force needs reinforcement.