The class carried a catapult aircraft as part of its original arrangement. Earlier cruisers had received aircraft equipment during design or construction, while the Leanders incorporated it from the outset. Wartime anti-aircraft demands later displaced the catapult and aircraft. Leander's construction at Devonport also shows what an Admiralty dockyard could offer: the government carried the investment costs, and designers had more freedom to alter work already under way without a private profit margin to protect. The planned aviation space and the flexibility to change the design both helped the class absorb new equipment during the war.
Notable Point · 20:20-23:32
Catapult aircraft and the value of a flexible hull
Leander-class cruisers incorporated catapult aviation from the outset, while Admiralty dockyards made late design changes easier to absorb.