Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 7:57:41-7:58:01

A cruiser-scale successor to the Sea Slug County class

Treating the County class as a true missile cruiser leads naturally toward a larger Type 82-like ship with more launchers, guns, and helicopters.

County Class DestroyersMissile CruisersNaval Air DefenceRoyal NavySeaslug MissileShip DesignType 82 Destroyer
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Question

If the Sea Slug County class were treated as missile cruisers and Type 82 never appeared, what would follow them?

Short answer

A cruiser-scale Type 82 equivalent with multiple launchers, heavier guns, and more helicopters would be the logical successor.

Notes

In this counterfactual, treating the County class as full missile cruisers would permit multiple Sea Slug launchers and a larger weapons fit. The projected ships would also have 6-inch and 3-inch guns, together with more helicopters. Their successor could resemble Type 82 in purpose while growing to cruiser scale. The result would be a substantially larger ship than the destroyer-sized path taken historically.