List of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy

This is a list of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, organised chronologically by entry into service.

:"For further information on naming conventions, please see the article naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy"

Torpedo Boat Destroyers

In 1913, the large heteogeneous array of older Torpedo Boat Destroyer types were organised into the A, B, C and D classes according to their design speed and the number of funnels they possessed. All were of a turtleback design and, excepting a few "builder's specials", powered by reciprocating engines. It should be stressed that these classes did not exist before 1913, and only applied to those "turtle-backed" destroyers surviving to that time.

*A class; (26-knot and 27-knot classes)
*"26-knotter" type
**"Daring" class — 2 ships, 1893–1894
**"Havock" class — 2 ships, 1893
**"Ferret" class — 2 ships, 1893–1894
*"27-knotter" type
**"Ardent" class — 3 ships, 1894–1895
**"Charger" class — 3 ships, 1894
**"Hardy" class — 2 ships, 1895
**"Janus" class — 3 ships, 1895
**"Salmon" class — 2 ships, 1895
**"Banshee" class — 3 ships, 1894
**"Fervent" class — 2 ships, 1895
**"Conflict" class — 3 ships, 1894–1895
**"Handy" class — 3 ships, 1895
**"Sunfish" class — 3 ships, 1895
**"Rocket" class — 3 ships, 1894
**"Sturgeon" class — 3 ships, 1894–1895
**"Swordfish" class — 2 ships, 1895
**"Zebra" class — 1 ship, 1895

*B class (4-funnelled, 30-knot classes)
**"Quail" class — 4 ships, 1895
**"Earnest" class — 6 ships, 1896–1897
**"Spiteful" class — 2 ships, 1899
**"Myrmidon" class — 2 ships, 1900

*C class (3-funnelled, 30-knot classes)
**"Star" class — 6 ships, 1896–1897
**"Avon" class — 3 ships, 1896–1897
**"Brazen" class — 4 ships, 1896–1898
**"Violet" class — 2 ships, 1897
**"Mermaid" class — 2 ships, 1897–1898
**"Gipsy" class — 3 ships, 1897
**"Bullfinch" class — 3 ships, 1898
**"Fawn" class — 6 ships, 1897–1899
**"Falcon" class — 2 ships, 1899–1900
**"Greyhound" class — 3 ships, 1900–1901
**"Thorn" class — 3 ships, purchased 1901
**Hawthorn special type — 2 ships, 1899, steam turbine specials
**Thornycroft special — 1 ship, 1898
**Armstrong-Whitworth special, — 1 ship, 1900

*D class; (2-funnelled, 30-knot classes)
**"Desperate" class — 4 ships, 1896
**"Angler" class — 2 ships, 1897
**"Coquette" class — 3 ships, 1897–1898
**"Stag" special type — 1 ship, 1899

*"Taku" type — 1 ship, 1900, ex-Chinese prize

Conventional destroyers

In 1913, lettered names were given to all Royal Navy destroyers, previously known after the first ship of that class. The River or E class of 1913 were the first destroyers of the Royal Navy with a recognisable modern configuration.
*River or E class — 33 ships, 1903–1905
*Tribal or F class — 13 ships, 1907–1909
*"Beagle" or G class — 16 ships, 1909–1910
*"Acorn" or H class — 20 ships, 1910–1911
*"Acheron" or I class — 23 ships, 1910–1915
*"Acasta" or K class — 20 ships, 1912–1913
*"Swift" type — 1 ship, 1907, large leader prototype
*"Laforey" or L class — 22 ships, 1913–1915
*"Arno" type — 1 ship, 1914, ex-Portuguese purchase
*Admiralty M class — 74 ships, 1914–1917
*Hawthorn M class — 2 ships, 1915
*Yarrow M class — 10 ships, 1914–1916
*Thornycroft M class — 6 ships, 1914–1916
*"Talisman" class — 4 ships, 1914–1916, ex-Turkish purchases
*"Medea" class — 4 ships, 1915, ex-Greek purchases
*"Faulknor" class leader — 4 ships, 1914, ex-Chilean purchases
*"Marksman" class leader — 7 ships, 1915–1916
*"Anzac" class leader — 6 ships, 1916–1917
*Admiralty R class — 39 ships, 1916–1917
*Yarrow Later M class — 7 ships, 1916–1917
*Thornycroft R class — 5 ships, 1916–1917
*Admiralty modified R class — 11 ships, 1916–1917
*Admiralty S class — 55 ships, 1916–1924
*Yarrow S class — 7 ships, 1917–1919
*Thornycroft S class — 5 ships, 1917–1919
*Admiralty V class — 28 ships, 1916–1918
*Admiralty W class — 19 ships, 1916–1918
*Thornycroft V and W class — 4 ships, 1918
*Thornycroft modified W class — 2 ships, 1918–1924
*Admiralty modified W class — 15 ships, 1918–1922
*Admiralty type leader — 8 ships, 1917–1919
*Thornycroft type leader or "Shakespeare" class — 5 ships, 1917–1921

*Inter-war standard classes
* "Ambuscade" type — 1 ship, 1926, Yarrow prototype of new design.
* "Amazon" type — 1 ship, 1926, Thornycroft prototype of new design.
** A class — 9 ships, 1928–1931
** B class — 9 ships, 1929–1931
** C class — 5 ships, 1930–1934
** D class — 9 ships, 1931–1933
** E class — 9 ships, 1933–1934
** F class — 9 ships, 1933–1935
** G class — 9 ships, 1934–1936
** H class — 9 ships, 1935–1937
*** ex-Brazilian H class — 6 ships, 1938–1940, ex-Brazilian purchases
** I class — 9 ships, 1936–1937
*** ex-Turkish I class — 2 ships, 1939–1941, ex-Turkish purchases
* Tribal class — 27 ships, 1936–1944
* J, K and N class — 24 ships, 1938–1941
* Hunt class — 83 ships (20 Type I, 33 Type II, 28 Type III, 2 Type IV), 1939–1942, "escort destroyers"
* L and M class — 16 ships, 1939–42
*Town class — 50 ships from three classes of United States Navy destroyers, built 1917–1920, transferred 1940

*World War II War Emergency Programme classes
** O and P class — 16 ships, 1941–1942
** Q and R class — 16 ships, 1941–1942
** S and T class — 16 ships, 1942–1943
** U and V class — 16 ships, 1942–1943
** W and Z class — 16 ships, 1943–1944
** C class — 32 ships, (8 Ca-, 8 Ch-, 8 Co-, 8 Cr-), 1943–1945

* Battle class — 23 ships (16 Group I, 7 Group II), 1943–1946
* Weapon class — 4 ships, 1945–1946
* "Daring" class — 8 ships, 1949–1952

Guided-missile destroyers

* County class — 8 ships (4 Batch I, 4 Batch II), 1961–1967
* Type 82 — 1 ship, 1969
* Type 42 — 14 ships (6 "Sheffield", 4 "Exeter", 4 "Manchester"), 1971–1983
* Type 45 — 6 ships, scheduled for commissioning 2007–2014

See also

* List of destroyer classes