The Abdiels were exceptionally fast British minelaying cruisers built around an enlarged-destroyer idea. The comparison with the Tribal class is presented as a likely Royal Navy line of thought, rather than a documented design genealogy. A rapid approach let one ship deliver a large mine load and withdraw before a stronger opponent could react. Sustained fighting was outside the concept. Speed governed the hull, machinery, armament, and protection compromises that followed.
Chapter · 0:36-1:10
Why the Abdiels were built for speed
The Abdiel class paired a destroyer-like hull with a very large mine load so it could lay a field and escape before the enemy could react.