The proposed hull was comparable in displacement to contemporary destroyers but designed for only 20 knots. Removing high-speed machinery and torpedoes frees weight and internal volume for ASDIC, depth charges, fuel, endurance, and economical manning. Such ships could be built in peacetime and placed in reserve instead of forcing old V and W-class destroyers into hurried wartime conversion. Britain's 1939 Flower-class orders show that officials eventually recognized the need, but only after losing years in which new hulls could have accumulated.
Chapter · 24:07-26:44
A destroyer-sized hull optimized for ASW
A roughly 1,500-ton escort could exchange destroyer speed and torpedoes for endurance, ASW equipment, fuel, and a smaller crew.