S-class destroyers and the demand for wartime numbers

The S class added 67 destroyers to the construction effort, making 121 when combined with the 54 R-class ships. Its listed armament comprises three 4-inch guns, a machine gun, a 2-pounder pom-pom, torpedoes and depth charges. Some ships carried 18-inch torpedoes, although these were unusual beside the 21-inch weapons. Anti-submarine warfare received greater emphasis while the ships retained useful speed and endurance for other destroyer duties. Quoted figures are about 1,000 tons standard displacement, roughly 1,200 to almost 1,300 tons at maximum load, 36 knots and 2,500 nautical miles at 15 knots. The design suited the Royal Navy's immediate requirements and supplied additional numbers at a critical stage of the war.