A-class orders spread destroyer building across Britain

The 27-knot programme drew on fourteen yards across several British shipbuilding regions. J. S. White at Cowes built the Conflict class, while Fairfield at Govan built the Handy class. Hanna, Donald and Wilson at Paisley added another Scottish yard west of Glasgow. Sunderland contributed the Hardy class, and Palmer's at Jarrow and Hawthorn at Newcastle upon Tyne produced the Janus and Sunfish classes. J. G. Thomson's Rocket class came from the firm later known as John Brown and Company. Earle's at Kingston upon Hull built the Salmon class. The Naval Construction and Armaments Company at Barrow-in-Furness, later part of Vickers and Vickers-Armstrongs, produced the Sturgeons. Armstrong Mitchell at Elswick built the Swordfish class, and London's Thames Ironworks added HMS Zebra. Even successive vessels from one yard could incorporate improvements. The spread of orders gave the Navy several regional sources of destroyers and more builders with practical experience of the type.