HMS Keith, the B-class leader, was designed to restrain destroyer growth without giving up the 4,800-nautical-mile range demanded by Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean service. The Admiralty wanted ships small enough to buy in numbers while also asking them to work across several oceans, creating an unavoidable design tension. Keith carried four 4.7-inch guns as designers tried to contain growth, one fewer than Codrington. The leader and regular ships carried torpedoes, ASDIC, and depth charges, while the regular ships used smaller crews. Four of the eight B-class destroyers were lost, mostly by 1942.
Notable Point · 16:22-19:13
HMS Keith and the B-class size dilemma
The B-class exposes the cost of trying to keep destroyers affordable and numerous while giving them the range and equipment for global service.