The early D-class hulls advanced quickly because planners could not know exactly when the war would end and still needed to replace worn-out pre-war cruisers that had become dangerous to retain. The first ships therefore remained on a wartime production pace almost to the armistice. Durban, Diomede, and Despatch were launched by their commercial builders but moved to Devonport, Portsmouth, and Chatham respectively when those firms wanted to return to civilian work. Fitting-out quality appears unchanged, so the transfer reflects the industrial transition to peace.
Notable Point · 14:46-17:00
A cruiser programme carried through the armistice
The D-class programme kept its wartime pace late into 1918, while the final ships were shifted to Royal Dockyards as private yards returned to civilian work.