Why wartime wear decides the postwar fleet

Was Hood likely to be retained with Vanguard after World War II?

Not necessarily; survival and wartime condition would determine retention, and older capital ships could emerge too worn for economical postwar service.

Hood cannot simply be assumed to remain after World War II. Postwar planning begins with which ships actually survive and how thoroughly wartime operations have exhausted their hulls and machinery. The Royal Navy's 12-inch-gun battleships after World War I provide the comparison because they had been worked hard enough to make disposal attractive. A prewar intention to keep a ship can therefore be overtaken by years of maintenance debt and structural wear.