The class used multiple turbine suppliers, differing boiler layouts, and elaborate electrical plants across a navy with limited resources. Some ships carried twelve ultra-high-pressure boilers while others used nine double-ended high-pressure boilers, multiplying the arrangements maintainers had to understand. The design appears to have begun near County-class size, then accumulated requirements until it exceeded 18,000 tons at full load. The result was visual clutter and a support burden created by failing to reassess the ship's purpose.
Chapter · 16:45-24:22
Machinery complexity and unchecked design growth
Different turbines, high-pressure boiler arrangements, and repeated additions turned a treaty-cruiser-sized concept into a much larger and harder-to-support ship.