Building more ships gives the first of class room to leave service for a substantial refit. In the proposed Type 45 comparison, extra hulls would have allowed Daring to enter refit earlier. Later ships incorporate improvements that the lead ship can then receive, alongside repairs to arrangements that looked workable on paper. A damage-control cupboard obstructed by an open door illustrates the kind of practical access problem that becomes apparent once people use the ship. These corrections require time out of service as well as a technical solution.
Notable Point · 2:04:15-2:05:59
Why the first ship of a class needs a substantial refit
A larger class gives the lead ship time out of service to absorb improvements and fix arrangement problems discovered after construction.