What was the best destroyer of World War II?
Short answerIt depends on national requirements: the Tribals suited Britain's war and Gearings suited the United States, while German designs were notably ill-matched to their operational needs.
NotesThe choice depends on what a navy needs its destroyers to do. The Tribal class is a strong candidate for Britain's operations in the Mediterranean, Europe, and the Far East. The Gearing class is a useful American answer. German designs receive a much harsher assessment: an emphasis on gun power, inherited from dissatisfaction with First World War gunfights, left them poorly suited to their actual tasks.