War emergency procurement for postwar austerity

During World War I, the Royal Navy used estimates of the war's likely duration to plan the ships, minefields, and other equipment needed to sustain its blockades. By 1916 planners were also looking ahead to postwar financial retrenchment, drawing on the Navy's experience of earlier cycles of expansion and cuts. Ships completed during the war or soon afterward would have to cover perhaps half a decade when further destroyer orders would be difficult to obtain. The size and durability of the V and W destroyers support the interpretation that they were built with that gap in mind. Their hulls and decks had spare space, and equipment remained accessible for maintenance. Later installations could use some of that room while still leaving reasonable access, giving the ships scope for further equipment and conversions.