Several operational explanations for the class's extreme speed fall short. Commerce raiding rewards the ability to choose engagements, but 34-knot fuel consumption sharply limits sustained range. The ships were neither minelayers nor well protected for close combat, and their eight-inch guns could outrange destroyers without needing the final two knots. The unresolved role question shows how a technically impressive requirement can dominate a design even when its operational payoff is uncertain.
Notable Point · 32:17-35:09
What operational role justified 34 knots?
Scouting, commerce raiding, and destroyer killing each explain part of Duquesne's speed, but none clearly repays the range and protection sacrificed for 34 knots.