Patrol's survival after two heavy-shell hits shows that the very light scout cruiser could absorb more punishment than its label suggests. The class often exceeded its nominal 25-knot speed and remained useful as a flotilla leader through the war. Turbine machinery and stronger guns would still have improved the design, especially given the rapid 1911-12 rearmament. Naval development overtook the scout cruiser quickly as light cruisers emerged. Even so, ships of roughly this size and destroyer-supporting role helped provide a basis for the treaty-era light cruisers of the 1920s and 1930s.
Chapter · 42:36-46:20
Useful ships overtaken by naval development
Patrol proved durable and useful, while turbine machinery, stronger guns, and newer light cruisers exposed the class's limits.