Galatea's Mediterranean post made command and coordination central to her work. An Arethusa could lead mass destroyer attacks or wider sweeps when the Royal Navy needed more capability than an enlarged destroyer leader offered. The navy built few cruisers specifically for that task because destroyer leaders usually filled it. The later 1936 Tribal-class destroyers provide the clearest comparison: in combined operations, an Arethusa could act as the senior leader for a force of powerful destroyers.
Chapter · 7:35-8:24
A light cruiser leading destroyers in the Mediterranean
Galatea's Mediterranean assignment shows why a small cruiser could coordinate mass destroyer attacks and lead larger sweeps.