HMS Nubian and the problem with official speed figures

Nubian's machinery reportedly produced more than 15,500 shaft horsepower, substantially above the requirement and above the figures given for Thornycroft sisters already known to exceed 33 knots. Her dimensions remained broadly similar, yet the official speed stayed fixed at the class rating. Because Tartar had reached 37 knots with less disclosed power, the repeated 33-knot figure reads more like an administrative rating than a trustworthy performance ceiling. The mismatch becomes a case study in reading naval records critically: an official number is still a historical fact about what the navy reported, but it may not describe the ship's true maximum performance.