The Washington system left room for a continuing program of small escorts. Ten Royal Navy sloops and two from each of five Dominions every year from 1922 could have produced about 340 hulls by 1939. After retiring older ships, the estimate leaves perhaps 200 in service, roughly a hundred with Britain and twenty with each Dominion. For Canada, regular construction at Halifax or another yard would have supported employment and a trained workforce as well as delivering useful ships. That spending would circulate through local businesses and return some money in taxes, while a standing escort force would have reduced the need for emergency construction.
Notable Point · 53:25-56:15
A Dominion sloop program for escorts and industry
Continuous construction of small escorts could have created a large escort force while sustaining shipyards and skilled employment across the Empire.