Encounter moving slowly, July 1938
Class overview
Operators	Royal Navy  Royal Canadian Navy  Royal Hellenic Navy  Dominican Navy
Preceded by	C and D class
Succeeded by	G and H class
Subclasses	E, F
Built	1933–1935
In commission	1934–1968
Completed	18
Lost	10
Scrapped	8
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	1,405long tons (1,428 t) (standard) 1,940 long tons (1,970 t) (deep load)
Length	329 ft (100.3 m) (o/a)
Beam	33 ft 3 in (10.13 m)
Draught	12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) (deep)
Installed power	3 ×Admiralty 3-drum boilers 36,000 shp (27,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × shafts; 2 × gearedsteam turbines
Speed	35.5knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph)
Range	6,350 nmi (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	145
Sensors & processing systems	ASDIC
Armament	4 × single4.7 in (120 mm) guns 2 × quadruple0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns 2 × quadruple21 in (533 mm)torpedo tubes 1 ×depth charge rack, 2 × throwers and 20 × depth charges
General characteristics (flotilla leaders, where different)
Displacement	1,475–1,495 long tons (1,499–1,519 t) (standard) 2,010–2,050 long tons (2,040–2,080 t) (deep load)
Length	343 ft (104.5 m) (o/a)
Beam	33 ft 9 in (10.29 m)
Installed power	38,000 shp (28,000 kW)
Speed	36 kn (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Complement	175
Armament	5 × single 4.7 in guns

TheE and F-class destroyers were a group of 18destroyers built for theRoyal Navy during the 1930s. The ships were initially assigned to theHome Fleet, although they reinforced theMediterranean Fleet during theItalian invasion of Abyssinia of 1935–36 and enforced theNon-Intervention Agreement during theSpanish Civil War of 1936–1939. After the beginning of the Second World War in August 1939, the E-class ships were mostly assigned to escort duties under theWestern Approaches Command, while the Fs were assigned to escort the ships of the Home Fleet. Between them they sank four German submarines through March 1940 while losing only one ship to a submarine.

Most of thesisters were committed to theNorwegian Campaign in April–June where they helped to sink one German destroyer and a submarine. The two E-classminelayer-destroyers helped toevacuate Allied troops from Dunkirk in May–June. Most of the Fs were sent toGibraltar around the end of June and formed part ofForce H where they participated in theattack on Mers-el-Kébir. Two months later they participated in theBattle of Dakar where they sank threeVichy French submarines. During the rest of 1940, they sank one Italian submarine while losing two ships tomines and torpedoes. Force H covered a number ofconvoys to Malta in 1941, during which they sank one German submarine and lost one destroyer to bombs. Three E-class ships began escortingconvoys to Russia in late 1941 and three others were transferred to theEastern Fleet.

Two of these latter were sunk by Japanese forces in early 1942 and two Fs were transferred to replace them. Many of the Fs reinforced the Arctic convoy escorts during which they fought several engagements with German destroyers and sank one German submarine. Several were detached to escort Malta convoys, during which one ship was lost. Several ships were converted toescort destroyers in late 1942–early 1943 for duty in theNorth Atlantic and many others were assigned there for extended periods of time where they sank two German submarines. Three of these ships were later transferred to theRoyal Canadian Navy. Four of the Es and Fs were sent to the Mediterranean Fleet in mid-1943 to support theinvasion of Sicily and remained there into 1944. One of these was transferred to theRoyal Hellenic Navy that same year and remained in Greek service until 1956. The ships that remained in the Atlantic sank two German submarines in 1944 before they were recalled to the UK in May to prepare for theinvasion of Normandy. There they sank two submarines, although another F-class ship was lost to a mine. The ships mostly returned to the North Atlantic after Overlord or began long refits in Canada.

The three Canadian ships were used to transport troops back to Canada after the end of the war before beingbroken up in 1947. Most of the British ships were broken up around the same time, although one ship was sold to theDominican Navy in 1949 and served until 1968.

The E class were ordered as part of the 1931 Naval Construction Programme, the F class following in 1932. These ships were based on the precedingD class with minor changes to the hull and armament. Two of the ships were modified to accommodate 60mines. The F class were repeats of the E's with some minor differences. All of the destroyers were fitted withASDIC (sonar) and the ability to use the Two-Speed Destroyer Sweep (TSDS)minesweeping gear.^[1]

The E- and F-class destroyers displaced 1,405 long tons (1,428 t) atstandard load and 1,940 long tons (1,970 t) atdeep load. They had anoverall length of 329 feet (100.3 m), abeam of 33 feet 3 inches (10.1 m) and adraught of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 m). The ships' complement was 145 officers andratings.^[2] They were powered by twoParsons gearedsteam turbines, each driving onepropeller shaft, using steam provided by threeAdmiralty 3-drum boilers that operated at a pressure of 300 psi (2,068 kPa; 21 kgf/cm²) and a temperature of 620 °F (327 °C). The turbines developed a total of 36,000shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph). The destroyers carried a maximum of 470–480 long tons (480–490 t) offuel oil that gave them a range of 6,350nautical miles (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[3]

All of the ships had the same main armament, fourquick-firing (QF)4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear. The guns had a maximum elevation of 40° which was achieved by using a lowered section of the deck around the mount, the "well", that allowed thebreech of the gun to be lowered below deck height.^[4] They fired a 50-pound (22.7 kg) shell at amuzzle velocity of 2,650 ft/s (810 m/s) to a range of 16,970 yards (15,520 m).^[5] Foranti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple mounts for theQF 0.5-inch Vickers Mk III machine gun on platforms between thefunnels. The E- and F-class ships were fitted with two quadruple mounts for21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes. The ships, except for the minelayers, were also equipped with two throwers and one rack for 20depth charges. The stern of the minelayers was fitted with a pair ofsponsons that housed part of the mechanical chain-conveyor system and to ensure smooth delivery of her mines.^[6] To compensate for the weight of her Mark XIV mines, their rails, two 4.7-inch guns, their ammunition, both sets of torpedo tubes, their whalers and theirdavits had to be removed.^[7]

The main guns were controlled by anAdmiralty Fire Control Clock Mk I that used data derived from the manually operateddirector-control tower and the separate 9-foot (2.7 m)rangefinder situated above thebridge. They had no capability for anti-aircraft fire and the anti-aircraft guns were aimed solely by eye.^[8]

Beginning in May 1940, the after bank of torpedo tubes was removed and replaced with aQF 12-pounder 20-cwt anti-aircraft gun,^{[Note 1]} the after mast and funnel being cut down to improve the gun's field of fire. Four to eightQF 20 mm Oerlikoncannons were added to the surviving ships, usually replacing the .50-calibre machine gun mounts between the funnels. One pair of these was added to the bridge wings and the other pair was mountedabreast thesearchlight platform.^[6] Early in the war, depth charge stowage increased to 38.^[9] By 1943, all the surviving ships, exceptFury had the 'Y' gun on thequarterdeck removed to allow for additional depth charge stowage and two additional depth charge throwers. The 12-pounder was removed to allow for the installation of aHuff-Duffradio direction finder on a shortmainmast and for more depth charges. All of the survivors, except perhaps forEcho, had 'A' or 'B' gun replaced by aHedgehog anti-submarinespigot mortar, and their director-control tower and rangefinder above the bridge removed in exchange for aType 271 target-indicationradar,Fame had her 'A' gun reinstalled by 1944. AType 286 short-range, surface-search radar, adapted from theRoyal Air Force's ASV radar, was also added. The early models, however, could only scan directly forward and had to be aimed by turning the entire ship.Express's modifications differed somewhat in that 'B' gun was replaced by a twin-gunQF 6-pounder Hotchkiss mount and a split Hedgehog installation. In addition, she retained her 12-pounder gun, but her remaining torpedo tubes were removed.^[6]

For the first time since theA class of the 1927 programme, theflotilla leaders were built to an enlarged design, being lengthened to incorporate an additional QF 4.7-inch gun between the funnels. The lengthened design resulted in a threeboiler room layout to enhance water-tight integrity. The leaders were not fitted for minesweeping or minelaying.^[10] They displaced 1,475–1,495 long tons (1,499–1,519 t) at standard load and 2,010–2,050 long tons (2,040–2,080 t) at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 343 feet (104.5 m), a beam of 33 feet 9 inches (10.3 m) and a draught of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 m).^[3] The ships carried a total of 175 personnel which included the staff of theCaptain (D), commanding officer of the flotilla.^[11] Their turbines were 2,000 shp (1,500 kW) more powerful than theprivate ships, which made them 0.5 knots (0.93 km/h; 0.58 mph) faster; their propulsion machinery was otherwise identical.Exmouth was an early wartime loss and consequently received no modifications, butFaulknor survived the war. Her modifications differed somewhat from those of the private ships. She received a 4-inch (102 mm) AA gun in lieu of her aft torpedo tubes, although they were later reinstalled and the 4-inch gun replaced 'X' 4.7-inch gun. Two Oerlikons were later added on the forward part of her aft superstructure and a quadrupleQF two-pounder "pom-pom" mount replaced 'Q' gun between the funnels. Finally her rangefinder was replaced by a high-angle director fitted with aType 285 gunnery radar.^[6]

All of the E class were assigned to the5th Destroyer Flotilla (DF) of the Home Fleet uponcommissioning during 1934. Following theItalian invasion of Abyssinia, the entire flotilla was sent to the Red Sea in August 1935 to monitor Italian warship movements until April 1936. Refitted upon their return, many were deployed to Spanish waters during theSpanish Civil War in 1936–39 to intercept shipping carrying contraband goods to Spain and to protect British-flagged ships. While the F-class ships were assigned to the6th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, they followed much the same pattern as their E-class sisters. In April 1939 the 5th and 6th DFs were renumbered the7th and8th Destroyer Flotillas, respectively. In mid-1939, newly commissionedJ-class destroyers began to replace the E-class ships and they were reduced toreserve for lack of manpower. Increasing tensions with Nazi Germany in August, caused the British to mobilize the Navy'sreserves, which allowed the ships to be manned again and assigned to the12th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet.^[16]

When the war began on 3 September, the E-class ships, except for the two minelayers,Esk andExpress, were assigned to theWestern Approaches Command (WAC) for convoy escort and patrolling duties, while the Fs remained with the Home Fleet, performing the same sorts of tasks.^[16] On 14 September,Faulknor,Firedrake, andFoxhound, escorting theaircraft carrierArk Royal, sankU-39, the first Germansubmarine to be lost during the war, after she had unsuccessfully attacked the carrier. Six days later,Fearless,Faulknor,Forester, andFortune sankU-27.^[17] Most of the E class remained with the WAC until April 1940, but several were transferred toRosyth Command at the end of 1939.Exmouth was one of these and was sunk byU-22 on 21 January 1940 in theMoray Firth. On the other hand,Escapade forcedU-63 to the surface on 25 February, which was then scuttled by her crew, andFortune sankU-44 on 20 March.Esk andExpress were assigned to the specialist20th Destroyer Flotilla shortly after the war began, together with the fourI-class destroyer-minelayers, and were busy laying mines in theNorth Sea and off the English coast through April–May 1940.^[16]

The beginning of theNorwegian Campaign in April saw almost all of the E and F class transferred to the Home Fleet for operations in Norwegian waters. For the most part they escorted the ships of the Home Fleet and the various convoys to and from Norway, butForester andFoxhound were part of the escort for the battleshipWarspite during theSecond Battle of Narvik on 13 April and the latter helped to sink one German destroyer. While escorting one convoy,Fearless and the destroyerBrazen sankU-49 two days later.^[18]Esk andExpress were the only two ships committed to theevacuation of Dunkirk in May–June, each rescuing thousands of Allied troops.^[19]

Fearless,Escapade,Faulknor, andFoxhound of the 8th DF escortedArk Royal and thebattlecruiserHood toGibraltar in late June, where they formedForce H. Eight days later, they participated in theattack on Mers-el-Kébir against theVichy French ships stationed there, together withForester,Foresight andEscort.^[20] The latter ship was sunk by an Italian submarine on 11 July while covering aMalta convoy.^[21] Most of Force H returned to the UK for a brief refit in early August, but upon their return at the end of the month, the 8th DF now consisted ofFaulknor,Forester,Foresight,Firedrake,Fortune,Fury, andGreyhound.^[22] On the night of 31 August/1 September,Esk,Express and three other minelaying destroyers laid a minefield off the Dutch island ofTexel. While doing so, the latter ship struck a mine that blew her bow off. While closing to render aid,Esk struck two mines that broke her in half with heavy casualties.Express was towed back to England for repairs that lasted until October 1941.^[19] On 13 September, Force H met a convoy that was carrying troops intended to captureDakar from the Vichy French that was escorted byInglefield,Eclipse,Echo,Encounter, andEscapade. Ten days later theyattacked Dakar whereForesight andInglefield sank theFrench submarine Persée,Fortune sank the submarineAjax a day later^[23] andForesight sank the submarineBévéziers on the 25th. After the battle,Escapade andEcho returned to the Home Fleet and resumed their regular duties of fleet escort. On 17 October,Fameran aground and could not berefloated for several months. The following day,Firedrake together with the destroyerWrestler and two Royal Air Forceflying boats sank theItalian submarine Durbo.Fury,Encounter,Faulknor,Firedrake, andForester participated in the inconclusiveBattle of Cape Spartivento on 27 November.^[24]

In 1941, the 8th DF escorted Force H as it covered multiple convoys and aircraft carriers flying off aircraft to Malta. While returning from one of the latter missions,Forester,Foresight,Faulknor,Fearless andFoxhound sankU-138 on 18 June. A month later,Fearless was crippled by Italian bombs on 23 July while escorting a convoy to Malta and had to be scuttled by her sisterForesight whileFiredrake was badly damaged by near misses and had to return to Gibraltar for repairs. The ships of the 8th DF mostly returned home between August and October for repairs and refits.Encounter was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in April and spent several months under repair as she was badly damaged by bombs at Malta. The ship was then transferred to the Eastern Fleet in November and arrived atSingapore the following month.Eclipse,Echo, andElectra were assigned to the3rd Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet at the beginning of 1941 where they escorted the larger ships of the fleet while they were searching for Germancommerce raiders and on other missions.Escapade began escortingconvoys to Russia in August and continued to do so for most of the following year.Electra did the same for several months until she was detailed to escort thebattleshipPrince of Wales and the battlecruiserRepulse to Singapore in October, together withExpress.^[25]

Express andElectra were half of the escorts forPrince of Wales andRepulse as they sailed north on 9 December, but could do little as theJapanese bombers sank the two capital ships other than help to rescue the 3,000-odd survivors. Upon their return to Singapore, they joinedEncounter and the other destroyers there escorting ships between Singapore and theSunda Strait.Electra andEncounter escorted theheavy cruiserExeter during theBattle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942. The former ship was sunk by a Japanese destroyer as she coveredExeter's withdrawal. Several days later,Encounter and the American destroyerPope were escorting the damagedExeter en route toCeylon when they encountered four Japanese heavy cruisers and their escorts.Encounter andExeter were sunk in thesubsequent battle on 1 March.^[26]Express did not participate in any of these battles because she'd been damaged by a boiler room fire in early February and her repairs did not begin until April.Fortune joined her sister with the Eastern Fleet in February, withFoxhound following two months later.^[27]

On 27 March,Fury,Eclipse and the light cruiserTrinidad were escortingConvoy PQ 13 in the Arctic when they were intercepted by three German destroyers. In the ensuing action, the cruiser was damaged by one of her own torpedoes andEclipse was hit twice, although the cruiser sank theGerman destroyer Z26.Foresight,Forester and the light cruiserEdinburgh were the close escort forConvoy QP 11, returning fromMurmansk toIceland, whenEdinburgh was torpedoed on 29 April. The two hits disabled her steering and she had to be towed by the two destroyers. Two days later, they were attacked by three German destroyers which badly damagedForesight andForester and put another torpedo intoEdinburgh, crippling her. The two destroyers took off the survivors and scuttled the cruiser. Temporarily repaired at Murmansk, the sisters were part ofTrinidad's escort home when she was set on fire by a German bomber and had to be scuttled on 15 May.Faulknor,Fury,Escapade,Echo, andEclipse escorted more Arctic convoys in May–September,Faulknor sinkingU-88 on 12 September while escortingConvoy PQ 18.Foresight andFury were briefly detached to escort the fleet duringOperation Pedestal in August, during which the former was torpedoed and had to be scuttled. While being repaired,Fame was converted into anescort destroyer and was assigned to the WAC, joining her sister,Fearless, upon its completion in September. A month later, she sankU-353 while protectingConvoy SC 104.Fearless was torpedoed and sunk byU-211 on 16 December.^[28]

When convoys to Russia resumed in December 1942,Fury,Forester,Faulknor,Eclipse, andEcho were assigned as escorts.Fury, andEclipse were detached to augment the escorts of the WAC in March–May 1943, joining their sisters,Fame andEscapade, when German submarine attacks reached their peak.^[29] The former had already sunkU-69 on 17 February while escortingConvoy ONS 165.^[30]Express,Fortune andFoxhound was assigned to the Eastern Fleet at the beginning of 1943, but the first two returned to Britain in February to begin refits, during which they were transferred to theRoyal Canadian Navy and renamedGatineau andSaskatchewan in June and May, respectively.Foxhound followed in August and was converted into an escort destroyer before being given to the Canadians in February 1944 and renamedQu'Appelle.Forester was assigned toEscort Group C1 of the WAC in June.Escapade was badly damaged by a premature detonation of her Hedgehog projectiles in September and was under repair until the end of 1944.^[31]Faulknor,Fury,Echo, andEclipse were transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet to escort the covering force during theinvasion of Sicily in July and the subsequentlandings in mainland Italy.Faulknor,Fury, andEclipse participated in theDodecanese Campaign after thesurrender of Italy in September and the latter ship sank after hitting a mine on 24 October.^[32]

Echo began a long refit at Malta in December and was loaned to theRoyal Hellenic Navy upon its completion in April 1944. RenamedNavarinon, she supported government forces during theGreek Civil War and was retained after the end of the war.Faulknor andFury later supported operations in Italy before returning to the UK forOperation Overlord in June.^[33] While escortingConvoy HX 280,Gatineau helped to sinkU-744 on 6 March, four days laterForester participated in the sinking ofU-845.^[34]Fame,Forester,Gatineau,Saskatchewan, andQu'Appelle joined their sisters covering the preparations for the invasion of Normandy and the invasion itself.Fame and two others destroyers sankU-767 on 18 June.Fury struck a mine on 21 June and was forced tobeach herself to prevent her from sinking. She was written off after she wassalvaged and was broken up for scrap beginning in September.Saskatchewan andGatineau returned to Canada in August for lengthy refits that lasted into 1945 after which they returned to the UK.Qu'Appelle returned to the North Atlantic in October andForester helped to sinkU-413 on 20 August and then was sent back to the North Atlantic.Escapade was fitted with the newSquid anti-submarine mortar when her repairs were finished.^[35]

Gatineau,Saskatchewan, andQu'Appelle were used to ferry Canadian troops back home before they were placed in reserve in 1946 and subsequently sold for scrap, althoughGatineau was scuttled in 1948 inBritish Columbia to serve as abreakwater.Faulknor andForester were reduced to reserve in 1945 and broken up the following year;Escapade lasted on active duty a year longer as she served in the Anti-Submarine Training Flotilla until 1946, but the ship was scrapped the next year. Unlike most of her sisters,Fame remained on active duty until 1947 when she was placed in reserve. She was sold to theDominican Republic in 1949 and renamedGeneralissimo. The ship was renamedSanchez in 1962 and finally discarded in 1968.Navarinon later became a training ship before she was returned to the Royal Navy in 1956 and broken up the following year.^[36]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toE- and F-class destroyer.

• Campbell, John (1985).Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
• Douglas, W. A. B.; Sarty, Roger; Michael Whitby; Robert H. Caldwell; William Johnston & William G. P. Rawling (2002).No Higher Purpose. The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939–1943. Vol. 2. part 1. St. Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell.ISBN 1-55125-061-6.
• English, John (1993).Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s. Kendal, England: World Ship Society.ISBN 0-905617-64-9.
• Evans, Arthur S. (2010).Destroyer Down: An Account of HM Destroyer Losses 1939–1945. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime.ISBN 978-1-84884-270-0.
• Friedman, Norman (2009).British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
• Hodges, Peter & Friedman, Norman (1979).Destroyer Weapons of World War 2. London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN 0-87021-929-4.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998).British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-326-1.

• Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain (including Empire Forces)". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 2–85.ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.

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