Which navies' weakest features could be combined into the worst destroyer in service in 1939?
Short answerAn Italian hull, German machinery, French heavy guns, American torpedoes, British high-angle fire control, and Japanese or German light anti-aircraft weapons.
NotesThe deliberately bad design combines an Italian hull, German machinery, French heavy guns, American torpedoes, and British high-angle fire control. Japanese 25 mm weapons or German 37 mm semi-automatic guns complete the proposed anti-aircraft fit. A participant suggests Japanese stability calculations, prompting an objection that the question specifies ships in service in 1939, after the earlier stability problems had been addressed. The rejoinder assumes the designer obtained obsolete original plans through espionage. The choices are a joking composite of perceived weaknesses, with no detailed engineering design worked out.