Amazon is the example of a destroyer that could use about ten tons of oil merely to raise steam. Against a fuel load described as sometimes only ninety tons, that was a substantial cost before getting under way. The comparison helps explain why exceptionally high speed was only one measure of a useful destroyer. Structural strength also varied within the Tribal class, and some ships survived considerable World War I damage. A description of lighter construction than the Rivers cannot by itself establish that every Tribal was fragile.
Notable Point · 40:06-42:03
Amazon's fuel consumption and the Tribals' structural strength
Raising steam could consume a large part of a Tribal's fuel, while claims of light construction need to account for differences between ships.