The decision weighs an immediate hull against the speed and efficiency promised by turbines soon to enter service. Only four months remain before the expected advance, making a short delay more attractive than committing to obsolete machinery. A propulsion choice made when the ship is ordered can constrain its speed and efficiency for years or force an expensive early refit. The four-month wait shows how a technically valid design can still be the wrong purchase at that moment.
Notable Point · 1:43:46-1:45:15
When it pays to delay a light-cruiser order
An imminent machinery advance makes waiting a few months more sensible than ordering cruisers with obsolete propulsion.