The Royal Navy needed cruisers in many places at once, not merely one ship for each enemy raider. A raider could appear across a wide geographic area, so coverage requirements quickly exceeded the number of enemy ships. The same British cruisers also had to scout for fleets, support carriers and destroyers, escort convoys, and command dispersed forces. The Towns filled County-class numbers that Britain had wanted but never built. The cruiser gap was therefore an availability problem shaped by geography and simultaneous duties, not a simple one-for-one comparison with enemy raider totals.
Chapter · 13:09-19:19
The cruiser gap was a problem of global coverage
The Town class helped cover worldwide raider defense, fleet scouting, carrier support, convoy escort, and command duties that raw enemy numbers understated.