Q&A ยท 5:13:50-5:14:53

Tribal-class firepower in a Narvik counterfactual

A proposed Tribal-class substitution turns on an estimated four-to-one advantage in shell output during a close-range destroyer action.

Question

What if Tribal-class destroyers had replaced the H-class at the Second Battle of Narvik?

Short answer

The Germans would probably suffer much heavier losses because the Tribals' gun battery could deliver roughly four shells for every German shell in the close-range fight.

Notes

In the proposed substitution, a flotilla of Tribal-class destroyers would be better equipped for the close-range fight than the H-class ships. The comparison credits the Tribals with twice the German gun numbers and twice the rate of fire per gun. That produces an approximate four-to-one volume of fire. Some British losses would still be expected, but the heavier British fire would probably cost the Germans substantially more ships.