Were Tribal-class destroyers structurally overbuilt?

If a treaty cruiser displaced about 10,000 tons, were Tribal-class destroyers structurally overbuilt or cruisers underbuilt?

Neither comparison is straightforward; the shorter Tribal hull needed fewer frames but substantial local strength where its guns were mounted.

Displacement alone does not show that the Tribal class was structurally overbuilt. A Tribal-class destroyer was shorter than a treaty cruiser and therefore needed fewer frames, while the locations and loads of its gun mountings demanded strength in particular parts of the hull. Its structure reflected those concentrated requirements rather than a simple cruiser-like standard throughout. A direct tonnage comparison misses these differences in hull length and local loading.