Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:07:10-1:07:42

HMS Zubian as an emergency reconstruction

Joining the surviving halves of Zulu and Nubian was a clever wartime expedient, not a preferred method of obtaining a destroyer.

HMS ZubianRoyal NavyTribal Class Destroyers (1907)Warship Repair
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Question

Was there anything else like HMS Zubian, and was she a good idea?

Short answer

She was a successful expedient born of necessity, but not a preferred or broadly repeatable shipbuilding solution.

Notes

HMS Zubian combined usable sections from two damaged Tribal-class destroyers. The reconstruction solved an immediate material problem and is associated with Admiral Bacon's initiative. It did not represent a repeatable design or construction policy. A navy with the choice would normally build or repair complete ships rather than splice together two casualties.