The two 4.5-inch Didos make the strongest case for viewing the class as destroyer-built cruisers. Their armament invited comparison with Tribal-class destroyers, even though the cruiser hull brought more armour and a steadier gun platform. Cruiser size and protection did not automatically give Scylla and Charybdis greater gun power than a large destroyer. A wartime photograph of Scylla as a Russian-convoy escort flagship shows why the less famous sisters still mattered.
Chapter · 1:24-5:58
Why these Didos resemble destroyers
Scylla and Charybdis illustrate the awkward boundary between a light cruiser and a destroyer-sized gunship.