Why crew size limits a destroyer's deployment

Crew size helps indicate how long a small warship is intended to remain operational at sea. Larger ships allow greater specialisation, while sailors in a small ship take on maintenance, cleaning and duties beyond their main trade. Reducing the complement increases pressure on each sailor and makes adequate rest harder to obtain. A small crew can fit short operations, but prolonged commitments call for more personnel. Short-war assumptions provide one explanation for the smaller complements favoured by some South American navies in this period. Sustained deployments depend on enough people to maintain the machinery and keep the ship operational.