The Royal Navy could not place cruisers everywhere that shipping needed protection. In the Red Sea, it used Tribal-class destroyers to keep submarines and surface raiders away from a vital choke point. Their combination of guns and torpedoes made them suitable for confronting a wide range of intruders. Destroyer design and global cruiser scarcity therefore shaped the escort force assigned to this route.
Notable Point · 26:10-27:31
Why Tribal-class destroyers guarded the Red Sea
The heavily armed Tribal class substituted for scarce cruisers at a choke point where submarines and surface raiders could threaten essential traffic.