The proposed alternative combines about 28 knots, the existing gun battery, and at least a destroyer's torpedo armament, preferably half as much again. Such a ship could have kept closer to battlecruisers while delivering a more credible flotilla attack. The idea anticipates later fast, heavily armed destroyers such as the Tribal concept. The prompt invites viewers to weigh the displacement and cost needed for those capabilities against the operational value they might have provided. The historical ships were useful and worth building, though a more ambitious design might have achieved much more.
Notable Point · 44:17-45:07
A 28-knot, torpedo-heavy alternative to the Active class
The closing question asks whether a 28-knot scout cruiser with substantially more torpedoes could have become an early large gun-and-torpedo destroyer.