A destroyer of roughly 2,000 tons standard shows why first-rank ships grew beyond interwar limits. Anti-submarine warfare required ASDIC and depth charges, while aircraft and surface threats demanded their own weapons and sensors. Radar, better seakeeping, and the combined equipment load had to coexist rather than appear as optional specialisations. A small treaty destroyer became increasingly difficult to sustain as a complete fleet combatant.
Chapter · 28:40-29:31
Modern destroyer missions demanded more displacement
A first-rank Second World War destroyer needed sensors and weapons for submarine, aircraft, and surface threats that earlier hulls could not easily carry.