GRAND FLEET DESTROYERS PART 1: FLOTILLA LEADERS AND 'V/W' CLASS DESTROYERS by John English, 243 × 183mm, softback, 138 pages, 140 B & W photographs

摘要

This book describes the design, development and careers of two distinct groups of vessels, the destroyer leaders and the V/W' class destroyers, which were originally designed as leaders. The majority of the 93 vessels described in this volume were to have long careers, covering both World Wars. The 'V/W's only had limited fleet service in the last year of WW1 and an extensive programme of conversion into antiaircraft escorts had been initiated pre-war, but was terminated early because of the need to have as many escorts as possible at sea. Later, with the greater availability of escorts, especially corvettes and ex-US destroyers, a programme was initiated to improve the A/S armament, AA armament and, especially, the range of the surviving 'V/W destroyers. There were some losses during WW 1 and in the Baltic 1918-20, but losses during WW 2 were much more severe. The early leaders, the 'Marksman's, were, except ABDIEL, quickly disposed of, but the 'Scott' and 'Shakespeare' leaders were operational for most of the 1920s and 1930s and survivors operated as escorts during WW 2. The 'Shakespeare's were the basis of the design of the leaders to the 'A/I' classes built 1929-1937. The 'V/W's themselves were the basis of the destroyers of the 'A to 'I' classes and many destroyers built for foreign navies during the 1930s.