The 24 ships later grouped as B class were built between 1895 and 1907 to a requirement exceeding 30 knots, with some credited with 36 knots. Their roughly 350-ton displacement was greater than the approximately 250-ton A-class ships, though both groupings contained variations. Triple-expansion engines and steam turbines appeared within the B group, alongside a 12-pounder, five six-pounders and two 18-inch torpedo tubes. The builders included Laird at Birkenhead, responsible for the Quail class, and Doxford at Sunderland. Doxford's Success was wrecked off Fife Ness on 27 December 1914. The B-class orders continued the comparison of builders and machinery at a higher required speed.
Chapter · 19:16-24:35
B-class destroyers: raising the requirement to 30 knots
The B-class programmes tested speeds above 30 knots and competing machinery while retaining the earlier gun and torpedo arrangement.