As the S138 batches grew, Royal Navy destroyers first caught and then surpassed them in displacement. River-class boats were already roughly 640 tons, while the contemporary Tribals reached about 982 tons deep load. British requirements combined global deployment with the need to destroy larger, better-subdivided German craft. German planners optimized for North Sea operations and preserved the political image of the cheap torpedo boat, with Jeune Ecole ideas still in the background. Displacement reflected operational requirements and the political limits on German naval expenditure.
Notable Point · 37:01-39:42
Why Royal Navy destroyers grew beyond the S138s
British destroyer growth reflected global operations and the need to defeat larger German boats, while German cheap-boat politics restrained displacement.