The Daring class adds a third twin 4.5-inch mount aft once a more suitable dual-purpose system is available. Its size and firepower made it a credible substitute when the Royal Navy lacked cruisers for Far Eastern patrols. Winston Churchill reportedly requested the plans before approving that substitution, and his lack of a reply was taken as agreement. Australia likewise weighed a Daring-derived platform against a cruiser. American designers, despite their own successful wartime destroyer production, saw the class as evidence that the role had moved beyond the traditional torpedo-focused ship. The line from the Tribal's gun emphasis to the Daring's cruiser-like reach traces the development of the general-purpose destroyer.
Notable Point · 56:52-59:39
Daring-class destroyers become cruiser substitutes
The Daring class combines a third twin 4.5-inch mounting with enough size and firepower to substitute for cruisers on distant patrols, influencing allied destroyer requirements.