Calling these ships light cruisers, rather than second-class cruisers, signaled a break from the old rating system. The change separated modern cruiser roles from first-, second-, and third-class terminology inherited from the age of sail. A later outbreak of war might have produced substantially different battleships and cruisers, possibly extending the Town lineage into larger designs. With twenty-one ships, the class established a repeatable global cruiser program instead of ending as a few experimental designs.
Chapter · 53:34-56:29
The Town class as a cruiser capability program
The Towns marked the abandonment of sailing-era rating language and provided a stable foundation for a continuing light-cruiser program.