A former sailor's account of Enterprise and Truxtun leads into the case for a limited number of nuclear escorts. The account says Enterprise's limiting factors were hull strength and hydrodynamics rather than a lack of reactor power. The proposed force does not require every escort to sustain carrier speed, only one or two large escorts per carrier during a high-speed deployment. Those ships could surge without needing fleet replenishment ships to fuel them, while conventional escorts cover the broader tasks that do not require exceptional speed or endurance.
Notable Point · 4:59-7:32
Nuclear escorts for carrier surge speed
Nuclear-powered escorts are presented as a small high-speed element that can accompany carriers without creating a large refuelling burden.