Cruiser tonnage versus destroyer numbers

Three Capitani Romani cruisers at 3,745 tons standard displacement each represented roughly the tonnage of five and a half proposed 2,100-ton destroyers. The calculation compares displacement and material; it does not establish equal construction costs. Three cruisers could cover only three places, while a larger destroyer force could spread protection across more tasks. The cruisers mounted eight 135 mm guns in four twin mounts, while the first-series destroyer design used four single guns. In this counterfactual, the same material might therefore have equipped more destroyers. Serious movement on the destroyer programme came only after wartime losses accumulated.