Fighting the U-boats

Allied Navies

Commonwealth Destroyers


The British Tribal class destroyer HMS Matabele

The Royal Navy had at the start of the Second World War only 113 destroyers - 60 having attended the 1937 Spithead Review - supplemented by 80 brought out of reserve. 50 sorely needed old ships were bought later very expensively from the United States. Those surviving from the end of the First World War comprised most of the 'V and W' Class with 20 others. Through a crash building programme which had started just before the war 60 more were produced. Eventually 456 destroyers played some part and 148 were lost through enemy action.


Commonwealth destroyers by class

Destroyer construction between the wars was unfunded until 1927. Prototypes HMS Amazon and Ambuscade, launched in 1926, demonstrated technical advancements made in the decade following the great war. Thereafter, one new flotilla was authorized each year, and named in alphabetical order (A through K classes).


Class, year ships   Class, year ships
A class, 1929 9   F class, 1934 9
B class, 1930 11   G class, 1935 9
C class, 1931 5   H class, 1936 9
D class, 1932 9   I class, 1937 9
E class, 1934 9   J class, 1938 8
K class, 1939 8

Havant class, 1939 6
R & S class, 1917 12
Town class 50
Tribal class, 1936 27
River class
Hunt class, 1939 91
V & W class, 1917 58

Allied Navies