List of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy

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This is a list of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, organised chronologically by entry into service.

Torpedo boat destroyers[edit]

In 1913, the surviving members of the large heterogeneous array of older 27-knot and 30-knot torpedo boat destroyer types (all six of the original 26-knot ships had been disposed of by the end of 1912) were organised into the A, B, C and D classes according to their design speed and the number of funnels they possessed. All were of a "turtle-back" design and, excepting a few "builder's specials", powered by reciprocating engines. It should be stressed that these A to D class designations did not exist before 1913, and only applied to those "turtle-backed" destroyers surviving to that time.

• "26-knotter" types
  • Daring class: 2 ships, 1893–1894
  • Havock class: 2 ships, 1893
  • Ferret class: 2 ships, 1893–1894
• A class; (27-knot classes)
  • Ardent class: 3 ships, 1894–1895
  • Charger class: 3 ships, 1894
  • Rocket class: 3 ships, 1894
  • Hardy class: 2 ships, 1895
  • Conflict class: 3 ships, 1894–1895
  • Fervent class: 2 ships, 1895
  • Janus class: 3 ships, 1895
  • Sturgeon class: 3 ships, 1894–1895
  • Salmon class: 2 ships, 1895
  • Swordfish class: 2 ships, 1895
  • Banshee class: 3 ships, 1894
  • Handy class: 3 ships, 1895
  • Sunfish class: 3 ships, 1895
  • Zebra class: 1 ship, 1895
• B class (4-funnelled, 30-knot classes)
  • Quail class: 4 ships, 1895
  • Earnest class: 6 ships, 1896–1897
  • Spiteful class: 2 ships, 1899
  • Myrmidon class: 2 ships, 1900
• C class (3-funnelled, 30-knot classes)
  • Star class: 6 ships, 1896–1897
  • Avon class: 3 ships, 1896–1897
  • Brazen class: 4 ships, 1896–1898
  • Violet class: 2 ships, 1897
  • Mermaid class: 2 ships, 1897–1898
  • Gipsy class: 3 ships, 1897
  • Bullfinch class: 3 ships, 1898
  • Fawn class: 6 ships, 1897–1899
  • Falcon class: 2 ships, 1899–1900
  • Greyhound class: 3 ships, 1900–1901
  • Thorn class: 3 ships, purchased 1901
  • Hawthorn special type: 2 ships, 1899, steam turbine specials
  • Thornycroft special: 1 ship, 1898
  • Armstrong-Whitworth special,: 1 ship, 1900
• D class; (2-funnelled, 30-knot classes) Unlike the A, B and C classes, the D class comprised a series of similar ships built by one contractor (Thornycroft), although there were small variations between the batches ordered in each year.
  • 1893-94 Programme: 4 ships, 1896
  • 1894-95 Programme: 2 ships, 1897
  • 1895-96 Programme: 3 ships, 1897–1898
  • 1896-97 Programme (special type): 1 ship, 1899
• Taku type: 1 ship, 1900, ex-Chinese prize

Conventional destroyers[edit]

In 1913, lettered names were given to all Royal Navy destroyers, previously known after the first ship of that class. The River or E class of 1913 were the first destroyers of the Royal Navy with a high forecastles instead of "turtleback" bow making this the first class with a more recognizable modern configuration.

• River or E class: 36 ships, 1903–1905 (including 2 later purchases)
• Cricket-class coastal destroyer: 36 ships, 1906–1909
• Tribal or F class: 13 ships, 1907–1909
• Beagle or G class: 16 ships, 1909–1910
• Acorn or H class: 20 ships, 1910–1911
• Acheron or I class: 23 ships, 1910–1915
• Acasta or K class: 20 ships, 1912–1913
• Swift type: 1 ship, 1907, large 36-knot flotilla leader prototype
• Laforey or L class: 22 ships, 1913–1915
• Arno type: 1 ship, 1914, Italian built for Portugal but purchased in 1915
• Admiralty M class: 74 ships, 1914–1917
• Hawthorn M class: 2 ships, 1915
• Yarrow M class: 10 ships, 1914–1916
• Thornycroft M class: 6 ships, 1914–1916
• Talisman class: 4 ships, 1914–1916, ex-Turkish purchases
• Medea class : 4 ships, 1915, ex-Greek purchases
• Faulknor-class leader: 4 ships, 1914, ex-Chilean purchases
• Marksman-class leader: 7 ships, 1915–1916
• Parker-class leader: 6 ships, 1916–1917
• Admiralty R class: 39 ships, 1916–1917
• Yarrow Later M class: 7 ships, 1916–1917
• Thornycroft R class: 5 ships, 1916–1917
• Admiralty modified R class: 11 ships, 1916–1917
• Admiralty S class: 55 ships, 1918–1924
• Yarrow S class: 7 ships, 1918–1919
• Thornycroft S class: 5 ships, 1918–1919
• Admiralty V class: 28 ships, 1916–1918
• Admiralty W class: 19 ships, 1916–1918
• Thornycroft V and W class: 4 ships, 1918
• Thornycroft modified W class: 2 ships, 1918–1924
• Admiralty modified W class: 15 ships, 1918–1922
• Admiralty type flotilla leader: 8 ships, 1917–1919
• Thornycroft type leader or Shakespeare class: 5 ships, 1917–1921

Inter-war standard classes[edit]

• Ambuscade type: 1 ship, 1926, Yarrow prototype of new design.
• Amazon type: 1 ship, 1926, Thornycroft prototype of new design.
  • A class: 9 ships, 1928–1931
  • B class: 9 ships, 1929–1931
  • C class: 5 ships, 1930–1934
  • D class: 9 ships, 1931–1933
  • E class: 9 ships, 1933–1934
  • F class: 9 ships, 1933–1935
  • G class: 9 ships, 1934–1936
  • H class: 9 ships, 1935–1937
    • ex-Brazilian H class: 6 ships, 1938–1940, ex-Brazilian purchases
  • I class: 9 ships, 1936–1937
    • ex-Turkish I class: 2 ships, 1939–1941, ex-Turkish purchases
• Tribal class: 27 ships, 1936–1944
• J, K and N class: 24 ships, 1938–1941
• Hunt class: 86 ships (20 Type I, 36 Type II, 28 Type III, 2 Type IV), 1939–1942, "escort destroyers"
• L and M class: 16 ships, 1939–42
• Town class: 50 ships from three classes of United States Navy destroyers, built 1917–1920, transferred 1940

World War II War Emergency Programme destroyers[edit]

The following were ordered as part of the War Emergency Programme classes:

• O and P class: 16 ships, 1941–1942
• Q and R class: 16 ships, 1941–1942
• S and T class: 16 ships, 1942–1943
• U and V class: 16 ships, 1942–1943
• W and Z class: 16 ships, 1943–1944
• C class: 32 ships, (8 Ca-, 8 Ch-, 8 Co-, 8 Cr-), 1943–1945
• Battle class: 23 ships (16 Group I, 7 Group II), 1943–1946
• Weapon class: 4 ships, 1945–1946
• G class: 0 ships (8 cancelled), 1944

Post-war all-gun design[edit]

• Daring class: 8 ships, 1949–1952

Guided-missile destroyers^[1][edit]

• County class: 8 ships (4 Batch I, 4 Batch II), 1961–1967
• Type 82: 1 ship (Bristol, 1969) built to trial technology. Eight originally planned to operate with cancelled CVA-01 aircraft carriers.
• Type 42: 14 ships (6 Sheffield, 4 Exeter, 4 Manchester), 1971–1983
• Type 43: project cancelled at feasibility stage in 1981 Defence White Paper
• Type 44: Subclass of Type 43 with better anti-submarine capability.
• Type 45: 6 ships, all commissioned between 2009 and 2013
• Type 83: Planned to replace Type 45 in 2030s.

See also[edit]

• List of destroyer classes

Citations[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Friedman, Norman (2008). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.
• Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.