A comment proposes that two Daring-class destroyers could deal with a Sverdlov and that Britain lacked an independent answer to a pair of Soviet cruisers. Both propositions receive a challenge. A larger Daring group, perhaps four ships, is treated as more plausible than a pair, but the estimate remains tentative. Sending a ship on a presence mission also does not establish its suitability for defeating a cruiser in wartime. Britain retained Vanguard, its own carrier forces, and gun cruisers. Concentrating a carrier group, several cruisers, or a destroyer flotilla against the threat imposed a substantial demand on those resources.
Notable Point · 44:32-46:55
Why two Darings were a doubtful answer to a Sverdlov
A credible force against Sverdlovs could require a British carrier group or a concentration of surface combatants, rather than a pair of destroyers.