Q&A · 29:22-30:14

How British destroyers might grow without treaty limits

A non-treaty destroyer program is projected to grow gradually toward postwar Daring size.

Question

What size might British postwar destroyers reach without naval-treaty limits?

Short answer

They would likely begin around 2,000 tons and grow by stages toward roughly 3,000-ton Daring-sized ships.

Notes

Without treaty pressure Britain would probably begin by testing destroyers around 2,000 tons. The fleet as a whole would take time to reach that size. Further increases every two or three classes could eventually produce ships around 3,000 tons by the Second World War. That would reach the size of the 1949 Daring class roughly a decade earlier.