Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:47:10-2:48:03

Could Britain have built more Tribal-class destroyers?

Tribal construction continued for Australia and Canada, while British orders also had to accommodate other destroyers and future gun mountings.

4.5-inch Guns4.7-inch GunsDestroyersL And M Class DestroyersRoyal Australian NavyRoyal Canadian NavyRoyal NavyTribal Class Destroyers (1936)
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Question

Could Britain have built another dozen or two Tribal-class destroyers before World War II?

Short answer

Tribal construction continued for Australia and Canada, while British orders also had to accommodate other destroyers and future gun mountings.

Notes

The design remained in production for Australia and Canada. For its own navy, Britain was also building other destroyer types and smaller escorts. A further generation of Tribals was tied to the availability of a new 4.5-inch mounting. The discussion also notes the L and M classes' 4.7-inch/50 gun and its different shell, then briefly favours a larger L-class design. The possibility of more Tribals therefore sits within competing construction and armament programmes.