Why fast fleet tankers were not the only priority

Possible tanker types have to be weighed against the Royal Navy's actual demands in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, where bases were numerous and slow support ships themselves needed escort. During the Bismarck pursuit, replenishment ships were available to refuel the force, but they could not rendezvous with the destroyers because every available vessel had been committed to the hunt. The failure lay in using an existing logistics capability coherently, with the emotional response to Hood's loss worsening the decision. The example separates possession of tankers and at-sea refuelling skill from the operational decisions needed to make them useful.