They had no real choice since Yamamoto separated the "Main Body" from the real main body (the carriers) by so much they were not possibly mutually supporting. As a result, even at flank, there was no way the BB group could have engaged the USN without a day of getting bombed.
The failure was in putting them so far behind the CVs. Had they been mixed, perhaps some would have drawn bombs instead of a CV, at the very least their AAA might have helped.
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