The brief calls for a 36-knot ship that can fill a numerical gap, show naval presence, and lay mines. The hope is to build about one hundred ships, yet modern machinery, armour, and survivability features push displacement from 6,000 tons toward 10,000 tons. Reducing deck and belt protection saves weight at the cost of resilience, while a broader beam improves stability but adds still more displacement. The weight consumed by armour, towers, and machinery shows that the hull cannot satisfy the brief cleanly. Starting again makes the design lesson concrete: role, numbers, and survivability must be reconciled before armament choices can rescue the ship.
Chapter · 18:42-29:08
Why the 6,000-ton escort-cruiser brief breaks down
A 6,000-ton fast-escort brief collapses under the combined weight of 36-knot machinery, armour, stability, and survivability requirements, so the first hull is abandoned and the design starts again.