The usual German-cruiser origin story is treated with caution because the supposed rivals were uncertain or incomplete when British decisions began. Emerald and Enterprise were laid down in 1918, launched in 1919 and 1920, and completed in 1926. Those long completion periods left many design choices to be made after the German threat had disappeared. The chronology makes the class difficult to explain as a straightforward response to a specific 1917 German cruiser project.
Notable Point · 6:47-8:45
Questioning the German-cruiser origin story
The chronology weakens a simple German-cruiser origin story for the E class because much of the supposed threat was uncertain or incomplete when Britain made its decisions.