Destroyer officers in Arethusa-class cruisers

Sherbrooke later commanded the light cruiser HMS Aurora during the war. Aurora belonged to the same Arethusa class that Philip Vian had commanded before the war. Aggressive destroyer officers appear unusually often among the class's captains. That pattern suggests the Royal Navy valued similar decisiveness and close-action experience in destroyer flotillas and fast light cruisers. The appointment links an officer's tactical reputation with the commands he received later in his career.