The W and Z classes had two racks and four throwers for a nominal load of 70 depth charges. That was a larger listed load than on earlier ships, even though they had one fewer rack. Carpenters and machinists could make additional wooden racks or fittings with the skills already needed for maintenance and damage control. Extra stowage was therefore plausible when crews wanted more depth charges for an operation, although the rack comparison alone cannot establish an individual ship's actual load.
Notable Point · 1:06:46-1:07:50
How destroyer crews could make room for extra depth charges
A nominal 70-charge load with fewer racks shows why rack counts alone cannot establish how many depth charges a destroyer carried.