Why Tribal-class destroyers were built to fight

Cossack carried eight 4.7-inch guns in four twin mountings and a quadruple torpedo launcher. The arrangement favored gun power and fleet fighting, with more guns in place of the second torpedo launcher common in smaller destroyers. Her remaining torpedoes still threatened battleships and heavy cruisers that came too close. At roughly 1,850 tons by treaty figures, the Tribals were larger than the approximately 1,500-ton ordinary destroyers used for comparison. Their design drew on light-cruiser thinking, giving them a heavy gun armament and a flotilla-leader role. Four Tribals could therefore form the core of the Altmark interception force and undertake work normally associated with a cruiser group.