The 1938 projects pursued refinement instead of availability

The 1938 studies expanded from large destroyers toward reconnaissance cruisers, with standard displacement growing from 3,914 to 5,800 tons. Added size and complexity retained a gun layout that placed much of the firepower aft. Germany's battleships needed escorts numerous enough, fast enough, and armed well enough to screen and fight. Repeated refinement postponed that operational requirement. The SP1 proposal had worked-out subdivision, weapons, and internal arrangements, giving it a more developed basis than a preliminary sketch. Contracts were placed in February 1941 and designations applied in December, but delayed construction stopped completely in 1942. The incomplete ships were broken up in 1943, leaving the fleet without the escorts the design effort was meant to supply.