In size these ships were almost as long as a cruiser but laid out much like a large destroyer but the three straight funnels were an instant identifying feature. Top speed was specified as . To achieve this they were given a full cruiser set of machinery and with an installed output of on two shafts, they made light and deep load. To put this into perspective, the contemporary Town-class cruisers had and a full load displacement of 12,980 tons, just short of four times that of the "Abdiel"s.