Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:48:48-1:49:25

Royal Navy cruiser construction without World War I

Without wartime construction pressures, the Royal Navy would probably build fewer C-class cruisers and larger runs of the later D- and E-class designs.

C Class CruisersDanae Class Light CruisersEmerald Class Light CruisersNaval ProcurementRoyal Navy
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Question

How might Royal Navy cruiser numbers change if World War I never happened?

Short answer

Fewer C-class ships and more D- and E-class cruisers, perhaps on the order of two dozen in each later grouping.

Notes

Removing World War I changes both the number and the sequence of Royal Navy cruiser orders. The service would be expected to move away from the C class sooner, changing its wartime production pattern. More ships would instead follow the D- and E-class lines as peacetime requirements evolved. The rough estimate of about two dozen in each later grouping is deliberately tentative, because the absence of war changes the strategic demand as well as the construction schedule.