Lightfoot and Marksman belonged to the 1913-14 programme, followed by Kempenfelt and Nimrod in 1914-15 and further ships under the first emergency programme. J. S. White and Hawthorn Leslie built the first pair, Cammell Laird and William Denny the next pair, and Cammell Laird the final three. The class combined a 34-knot top speed with four 4-inch guns, two 2-pounders and two twin 21-inch torpedo mountings. Roughly 1,600 tons displacement and accommodation for 116 people provided room for the required duties. Some ships were later adapted as fast minelayers. Their larger hull also addressed a fleet requirement: the screen needed to stay with heavier ships when rough weather reduced the usefulness of smaller destroyers.
Chapter · 37:37-39:19
Marksman leaders put the practical requirements together
The Marksman programme combined leadership space, destroyer weapons and a hull intended to keep the screen at sea in rough weather.