Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:29:04-2:30:04

A twelve-ship Type 83 fleet and an illustrative design menu

An illustrative 12,000-to-24,000-ton menu accompanies a recommendation for about twelve ships in the Type 83 role.

DestroyersForce StructureNaval ProcurementRoyal NavyType 45 DestroyerType 83 Destroyer
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Question

What size options should the Royal Navy consider for Type 83, and how many ships are needed?

Short answer

The illustrative menu starts at 12,000 tons, with 15,000 tons as its second-smallest option. The separate fleet recommendation is roughly twelve ships.

Notes

A playful personal design menu starts at about 12,000 tons, with a 15,000-ton second-smallest option and further steps to 18,000, 21,000, and 24,000 tons. It is constructed around the joke that British procurement chooses the second-smallest design. These are illustrative choices, not official Type 83 options. The separate force-level argument is that the six-ship Type 45 fleet was cut too far and roughly twelve ships are needed in this role. Ship numbers therefore remain part of the proposal alongside the capability of each hull.