The treaty definition of a sloop fitted the convoy mission unusually well. A ship below 2,000 tons and limited to 20 knots could still carry useful guns, anti-aircraft weapons, depth charges, and ASDIC, whose effectiveness already declined above about eighteen knots. The prohibition on torpedoes mattered less for a vessel intended to escort merchants rather than attack a battle fleet. Sloops could therefore devote displacement and endurance to long-range protection. Wartime production remained constrained because turbine machinery was also urgently needed for faster destroyers, helping explain the expansion of simpler corvette designs.
Chapter · 1:29:31-1:34:34
Naval treaty rules created a useful sloop formula
Treaty limits below 2,000 tons and 20 knots still allowed Britain to build long-range escorts optimized for ASDIC and convoy defence.