Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:54:02

When 'better not built' still requires a replacement

Criticising a class requires distinguishing a genuinely unnecessary ship from a flawed design that still filled an essential role.

Courageous Class Warship LineageDido Class Light CruisersNaval ProcurementRoyal NavyWarship Design
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Question

Which Royal Navy ships might it have been better not to acquire?

Short answer

Several notorious classes are candidates, but a flawed ship that filled a necessary role should usually be replaced by a better design rather than simply omitted.

Notes

Courageous, Glorious, Furious, the Hawkins class, HMS Captain, and K-class submarines appear among the strongest candidates for avoidance. The Dido class is different because its intended role still had to be filled. A flawed ship can be worth building when the alternative is leaving a required capability empty. The better counterfactual is often a replacement design rather than simple cancellation.