The Type II's six 4-inch guns represented a 50 percent increase in main-gun numbers over the Type I. Its anti-submarine outfit also rose from 40 depth charges to 110, with more racks and throwers, despite only modest growth in displacement. HMS Bicester then carried this heavier fit through operations around Gibraltar, Malta, the Adriatic, and the Indian Ocean, including Operation Pedestal. Her construction from a December 1939 order to May 1942 commissioning took much longer than the rapid pre-war Type I cycle. That contrast raises the possibility that wartime pressure and differences between yards sometimes slowed escort construction.
Notable Point · 21:38-25:10
Type II Hunts: more guns and depth charges
The Type II added a third twin 4-inch mount and 110 depth charges, while HMS Bicester's wide-ranging service shows how hard these compact escorts were worked.