Postwar service from the Baltic to the China Station

Danae reached the Harwich Force before the end of the First World War, while Dauntless served in the Baltic amid the Russian Revolution. Dauntless then settled into Home Fleet routines that included exercises, monitoring trade, and port visits around Europe. Durban went almost directly to the China Station as Japan rose and the United States asserted more weight in the region. The polished visual effect of such deployments resembled the display logic of the American Great White Fleet. A newly built light cruiser could advertise proficiency and resolve without the escalation implied by sending a battleship or battlecruiser. The contrast shows why the D class suited both ordinary fleet work and the calibrated diplomacy of a worldwide navy.