The Crown Colonies' transom stern helped explain their published speed of 31.5 knots. The Ceylon group received an additional 7,500 shaft horsepower yet was credited with only another half knot. Comparisons with the Gloucester and Edinburgh subgroups bring hull shape and length-to-beam ratio into the calculation. The small published improvement remains a reason for skepticism about the declared figures, without proving a particular higher speed.
Notable Point · 55:12-56:47
Crown Colony speed figures and the effect of a transom stern
The transom stern helped performance, but the small stated speed gain from additional power prompts skepticism.