The Royal Navy chose a hull that commercial builders could produce quickly without imposing full sloop construction standards on yards unsuited to them. The specification dated from 1938, a suitable commercial hull was selected in January 1939, and the first orders followed in July. That sequence places the work within a planned 1941-42 expansion rather than a purchase begun after war started. The delay between the March 1939 Polish guarantee and the July orders reflected the British government's miscalculation of Hitler, while the Admiralty's escort design was already prepared.
Chapter · 13:08-15:33
Flower-class design for commercial-yard capacity
The 1938 specification, January 1939 hull choice, and July orders reveal how the Flower program was prepared for rapid construction in smaller yards before war began.