A proposed alternative E-class with twin turrets and dual four-inch guns opens a wider argument about the Royal Navy's constrained construction choices in the 1930s. The preferred alternative is more Town-type cruisers in place of Dido and Crown Colony orders. Those decisions are compared with King George V-class battleships ordered in the hope that naval treaty limits could still preserve peace. A fleet can have the legal authority to build more ships without having the budgetary and industrial freedom to build every cruiser and battleship it expects to need.
Notable Point · 17:56-19:23
Cruiser construction, treaties, and long-term choices
The E-class, Dido, Crown Colony, and Town designs show how treaty hopes shaped British cruiser decisions.
4-inch GunsCrown Colony Class CruisersCruiser ConstructionCruiser DesignDido Class Light CruisersEmerald Class Light CruisersFleet PlanningInterwar Naval PolicyKing George V Class Battleships (1939)Naval BudgetsNaval DisarmamentNaval ProcurementNaval TreatiesRoyal NavyShipbuildingTown Class Light Cruisers (1936)Twin Turrets