Why Crown Colony range figures need careful comparison

Four Admiralty three-drum boilers fed Parsons geared turbines driving four shafts and producing 72,500 shaft horsepower. The Fiji group's listed maximum of 31.5 knots was the lowest among the compared cruiser groups, although one ship reportedly sustained more than 30 knots while crossing the Atlantic. Its quoted endurance of 10,100 nautical miles was the longest of the set. That figure needs caution because it was measured at 12 knots, slower than the comparison speeds used for the Town groups. The Ceylon group's listed 80,000 shaft horsepower and 32 knots at the same stated range raise a further question about whether the published figures are directly comparable. The figures show why range comparisons require attention to speed, fuel load, and machinery power rather than the headline distance alone.