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Ships of the Royal Navy
Ships by name: A B C D–F G–H I–L M–N O–Q R–T U–Z
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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, 1916–1924


• 
  Yarrow S class: 7 ships, 1917–1919


• 
  Thornycroft S class: 5 ships, 1917–1919


• 
  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 leader: 8 ships, 1917–1919


• 
  Thornycroft type leader or Shakespeare class: 5 ships, 1917–1921

Inter-war standard classes

• 
  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: 83 ships (20 Type I, 33 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 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

• 
  Daring class: 8 ships, 1949–1952

Guided-missile destroyers[edit]

• 
  County class: 8 ships (4 Batch I, 4 Batch II), 1961–1967


• 
  Type 82: 1 ship, 1969


• 
  Type 42: 14 ships (6 Sheffield, 4 Exeter, 4 Manchester), 1971–1983


• 
  Type 43: 0 ships (8 cancelled), 1981


• 
  Type 45: 6 ships, all commissioned between 2009–2013

See also[edit]

• List of destroyer classes