Type 45 construction linked fleet size to the work available for shipyards. The design was divided into roughly six blocks, A to F, with assignments changing between ships according to available yard space. This distributed approach anticipated construction of the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. BAE Systems, VT Group, and BVT Surface Fleet illustrate how corporate changes complicated tracing responsibility between contract award and delivery, without establishing that this was deliberate. Construction spans grew from about six years for the first ships toward seven years for later hulls. Stretching the work helped sustain employment as the planned force fell from twelve destroyers to nine, eight, and finally six. Viewed as an employment programme, that extension had a rationale, while the criticism is that it sacrificed construction efficiency and timely naval capability.
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Construction stretch and the six-ship force
Construction from Daring through Duncan shows how the planned 12-ship destroyer force narrowed to six while build times grew longer.