At contract award, full-load displacement is given as about 7,400 tons. Continued design changes then add several hundred tons and take the design beyond 8,000 tons. The comparison uses a Burke figure of 9,700 tons to show the narrowing size difference. Requirements growth is contrasted with the stricter limits associated here with the Perry programme. The increase is treated as evidence of a ship whose mission and equipment demands kept expanding.
Notable Point · 2:09:26-2:10:27
Constellation's growth beyond 8,000 tons
Displacement growth from about 7,400 tons to more than 8,000 brings Constellation closer in size to a Burke.