Small torpedo destroyers did valuable work, but Second World War fleets also needed larger, gun-armed destroyers able to perform broader tasks. Those larger ships could take on some of the supporting work previously performed by light cruisers attached to destroyer forces. First World War torpedo attacks commonly operated beneath the cover of powerful battle lines, a condition less available in the later war. Reading the earlier experience only as a demand for numbers risked overlooking the gun power, endurance, and flexibility required of a dispersed wartime destroyer force.
Notable Point · 6:12-8:21
Why the Royal Navy needed more large destroyers
Massed torpedo attacks encouraged demand for numerous small destroyers; in this interpretation, their First World War battle-line support context was too easily forgotten.