Type 26 hull volume, maintenance, and growth

A deliberate insertion point is described in the Type 26 design where a later mid-body section could lengthen the ship. In this account of the proposals, Britain and Australia chose the small hull, Canada the medium hull, and none chose the largest. Larger ships can require more building and support infrastructure, even though steel and enclosed volume are relatively cheap. Extra room can improve maintenance access and make later upgrades easier, while size can also help a ship withstand damage. This is an argument for useful margins, with HMS Hood invoked as an exaggerated example of going far beyond an ASW frigate's needs. The expectation that Norway will take close copies of the British ships remains explicitly tentative.