A large majority of the V-class ships discussed remained in service into the Second World War, with some serving throughout it. The construction and commissioning timeline extends from 1916 to 1924, including delayed arrivals. The wider V and W programme figures are 107 planned ships and 40 cancellations. Completing another forty destroyers would have changed the strength available for the later fleet, although the consequences remain an open counterfactual. The favourable judgment of Britain's destroyer readiness at the start of the Second World War concerns the relative modernity and preparation of its fleet structure. Weaknesses in lessons drawn from exercises complicate that assessment.
Notable Point · 51:10-52:08
V and W survivors and the forty cancelled ships
V-class longevity raises the question of how forty cancelled V and W destroyers could have strengthened the later fleet.