The larger destroyer alternative to the Fletcher

What interesting naval-history fact did the panel learn that week?

The US Navy nearly selected a slightly larger destroyer instead of Fletcher for mass production.

The US Navy nearly chose a slightly larger destroyer for mass production before settling on the Fletcher. The alternative design is unnamed. A hesitant estimate puts the scale of American wartime destroyer construction at roughly 300-350 ships overall. That approximate total covers the wider production programme, rather than the Fletcher class alone.