With a service-ready gun by 1935, even the I-class destroyers immediately preceding the Tribals might receive the 4.5-inch weapon. The counterfactual redistributes weapons as well as improving destroyers. If the principal destroyer program stops consuming so many 4-inch and 4.7-inch systems, those guns become available for Flower-class corvettes and other escorts. A sufficiently large 4.5-inch production run might instead extend the standardized weapon into some of those smaller ships. The example shows how an earlier design decision can alter factory allocation and armament choices across the wartime fleet.
Notable Point · 30:32-32:09
Fleet standardization changes weapons available to escorts
A service-ready 4.5-inch gun could reach the I class, release 4-inch and 4.7-inch weapons for corvettes, or spread into smaller escorts itself.