The comparison begins with the modern Littoral Combat Ship but turns to a broader pattern of troubled British small-ship design in the 1890s. The American programme is not called a total disaster because its ships do float and serve, though committee-driven omissions such as neglected sacrificial anodes still deserve criticism. British cruiser development also passed through several unsuccessful iterations. The Orlando class supplied one of the sound designs that helped restore confidence in the programme.
Notable Point · 1:36:14-1:37:20
The Orlando class steadied a troubled British cruiser programme
The Royal Navy's smaller ships of the 1890s suffered repeated design problems even though later histories often foreground the capital ships.