The last Soldati-class destroyers were laid down in April 1941, while the first ships of the new class waited until December 1942. Available slips stood empty as the navy delayed deciding what its next destroyers should be. Capitani Romani light cruisers continued in construction, and three entered service before Italy left the war. Other cruisers were lost while fitting out or training. The sequence exposes the opportunity cost of continued cruiser work while the destroyer successor remained undecided.
Chapter · 12:39-14:16
Cruiser priority and the destroyer construction gap
Soldati construction ended in April 1941, yet empty slips waited until December 1942 for a new destroyer design while Capitani Romani cruisers continued in construction.