List of Destroyer Classes of The Royal Navy - Torpedo Boat Destroyers

Torpedo Boat Destroyers

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 turtleback design and, excepting a few "builder's specials", powered by reciprocating engines. It should be stressed that these classes did not exist before 1913, and only applied to those "turtle-backed" destroyers surviving to that time.

• A class; (26-knot and 27-knot classes)
• "26-knotter" type
  • Daring class — 2 ships, 1893–1894
  • Havock class — 2 ships, 1893
  • Ferret class — 2 ships, 1893–1894
• "27-knotter" type
  • Ardent class — 3 ships, 1894–1895
  • Charger class — 3 ships, 1894
  • Hardy class — 2 ships, 1895
  • Janus class — 3 ships, 1895
  • Salmon class — 2 ships, 1895
  • Banshee class — 3 ships, 1894
  • Fervent class — 2 ships, 1895
  • Conflict class — 3 ships, 1894–1895
  • Handy class — 3 ships, 1895
  • Sunfish class — 3 ships, 1895
  • Rocket class — 3 ships, 1894
  • Sturgeon class — 3 ships, 1894–1895
  • Swordfish class — 2 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