She is one of three ships the player starts the game with, alongside the player's selected starter ship and Long Island. Her skill activation phrase, "Neratte Pon~," is well known for this reason.
Historically, HMS Repulse was completed shortly after the Battle of Jutland, but had a fairly unremarkable history until the outbreak of the Second World War. In November 1941 the Royal Navy sent her and Prince of Wales, alongside other vessels, to reinforce Singapore against Japanese attack. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the two were famously sunk by a large air attack by Japanese bombers, their air defences insufficient to stave off the assault.
