Ordering sloops would have kept turbine production and other naval suppliers active during peacetime. Because sloops used equipment similar to destroyers, larger orders would also have expanded the production base for sensors and weapons needed by both types. That continuity could have supported faster wartime growth in ASDIC, radar, and related systems. Reserve capacity resides in suppliers and manufacturing experience as well as in completed ships.
Notable Point · 1:23:22-1:24:09
How sloop orders could strengthen the naval industrial base
Regular interwar sloop orders would have preserved more than hull numbers by sustaining the factories, suppliers, and skilled production needed for wartime escorts and destroyers.