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.

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

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

• 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

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

• Daring class: 8 ships, 1949–1952

Source:^[1]

• 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.

• List of destroyer classes

• 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.