The breakdown of the Second London Naval Treaty's limits removes the cumulative ceiling that might otherwise make four unusual cruisers difficult to justify. Their existing hulls also fit a useful industrial gap: yards too small for the new cruiser program but unnecessarily large for modern destroyers can still contribute. Orders for turbines, radar, and guns would enlarge the peacetime production base before wartime demand arrives. The conversion therefore adds ships without directly displacing the Royal Navy's highest-priority new construction.
Notable Point · 33:21-36:30
Treaty freedom and unused yard capacity
The refit becomes plausible after treaty limits loosen because the hulls can use facilities that are poorly matched to new large cruisers or small destroyers.