Town-class naming as naval tradition

The class name grouped ships bearing established place names and connected successive generations through Royal Navy tradition. Several namesakes were already cities by 1909, so the label did not describe their contemporary municipal status. The naming scheme linked new cruisers with older ships associated with places that had once been towns. The comparison treats the modern Type 26's official City-class label as a Ministry of Defence public-relations choice rather than a correction of the older name.