The Type 45 illustrates what happens when a propulsion concept and the chosen hull cease to align. The earlier scheme called for three power packs, each combining a turbine with two diesel generators. One pack could then be shut down for maintenance while the remaining machinery carried the ship's load. A government preference for a smaller vessel forced the arrangement to lose much of the larger design's redundancy. Later upgrades added extra and more powerful diesel generators to supply the power the destroyers required. Integrated electric propulsion makes such an upgrade possible, although the earlier capacity decision still has consequences.
Chapter · 34:30-36:13
How the Type 45 power system was cut down
The Type 45's intended distributed turbine-and-diesel power packs were reduced when the programme chose a smaller hull, leading to later generator upgrades.