Spanish Civil War duties and Ashanti diplomacy

The Tribals entered service on politically sensitive Spanish Civil War patrols intended to contain the conflict and protect international trade. They also acted as an emergency evacuation service when ambassadors were endangered, showing the diplomatic work a destroyer could perform alongside combat duties. HMS Ashanti later visited Takoradi in modern Ghana for a durbar with Ashanti leaders. The ship received a ceremonial silver bell, a golden shield, and a blessing associated with Prempeh II. The occasion had a difficult colonial context because Prempeh II had only comparatively recently been permitted to return by the authorities. Ashanti later became one of only four of the class's sixteen ships to survive the Second World War, making the blessing's promise of good luck seem unusually apt.