View source for E and F-class destroyer

{{short description|Ship class}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Encounter 1938 IWM FL 11382.jpg
|Ship caption=''Encounter'' moving slowly, July 1938
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Builders=
|Operators=*{{navy|United Kingdom}}
*{{naval|Canada|1911}}
*{{navy|Kingdom of Greece|1935-naval|name=Royal Hellenic Navy}}
*{{navy|Dominican Republic}}
|Class before={{sclass2|C and D|destroyer|4}}
|Class after={{sclass2|G and H|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses=E, F
|Built range=1933–1935
|In commission range=1934–1968
|Total ships completed=18
|Total ships lost=10
|Total ships scrapped=8
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1405|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|1940|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|329|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|12|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} (deep)
|Ship power=*3 × [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
*{{cvt|36000|shp|kW|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts; 2 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|35.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|6350|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=145
|Ship sensors=[[Sonar#History|ASDIC]]
|Ship armament= 
*4 × single [[4.7 inch QF Mark IX|4.7 in (120&nbsp;mm) guns]]
*2 × quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|{{cvt|0.5|in|mm|1}} machine guns]]
*2 × quadruple [[British 21-inch torpedo|21 in (533&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tubes]]
*1 × [[depth charge]] rack, 2 × throwers and 20 × depth charges 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=([[flotilla leader]]s, where different)
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1475|-|1495|LT|t}} (standard)
*{{convert|2010|-|2050|LT|t}} (deep load)
|Ship length={{convert|343|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} (o/a) 
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{convert|38000|shp|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement= 175
|Ship armament=5 × single 4.7 in guns
}}
|}

The '''E and F-class destroyers''' were a group of 18 [[destroyer]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] during the 1930s. The ships were initially assigned to the [[Home Fleet]], although they reinforced the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] during the [[Second Italo-Abyssinian War|Italian invasion of Abyssinia]] of 1935–36 and enforced the [[Non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War|Non-Intervention Agreement]] during the [[Spanish 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 the [[Western 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 the [[sister ship|sisters]] were committed to the [[Norwegian Campaign]] in April–June where they helped to sink one German destroyer and a submarine. The two E-class [[minelayer]]-destroyers helped to [[evacuation of Dunkirk|evacuate Allied troops from Dunkirk]] in May–June. Most of the Fs were sent to [[Gibraltar]] around the end of June and formed part of [[Force H]] where they participated in the [[attack on Mers-el-Kébir]]. Two months later they participated in the [[Battle of Dakar]] where they sank three [[Vichy French]] submarines. During the rest of 1940, they sank one Italian submarine while losing two ships to [[naval mine|mine]]s and torpedoes. Force H covered a number of [[Malta convoys|convoys to Malta]] in 1941, during which they sank one German submarine and lost one destroyer to bombs. Three E-class ships began escorting [[Arctic convoys|convoys to Russia]] in late 1941 and three others were transferred to the [[Eastern 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 to [[escort destroyer]]s in late 1942–early 1943 for duty in the [[North 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 the [[Royal Canadian Navy]]. Four of the Es and Fs were sent to the Mediterranean Fleet in mid-1943 to support the [[invasion of Sicily]] and remained there into 1944. One of these was transferred to the [[Royal 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 the [[invasion 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 being [[ship breaking|broken up]] in 1947. Most of the British ships were broken up around the same time, although one ship was sold to the [[Dominican Navy]] in 1949 and served until 1968.

==Design and description==
[[File:E Class Destroyer Profile.png|thumb|left|Profile of an E-class destroyer]]
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 preceding [[C and D-class destroyer|D class]] with minor changes to the hull and armament. Two of the ships were modified to accommodate 60 [[naval mine|mines]]. The F class were repeats of the E's with some minor differences. All of the destroyers were fitted with [[Sonar#History|ASDIC]] (sonar) and the ability to use the Two-Speed Destroyer Sweep (TSDS) [[minesweeper (ship)|minesweeping gear]].<ref>English, pp. 62–63, 75</ref>

The E- and F-class destroyers displaced {{convert|1405|LT|t}} at [[Displacement (ship)|standard]] load and {{convert|1940|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. They had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|329|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|33|ft|3|in|m|1}} and a [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|12|ft|6|in|m|1}}. The ships' complement was 145 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]].<ref name=w78>Whitley, pp. 103, 105</ref> They were powered by two [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, each driving one [[propeller shaft]], using steam provided by three [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s that operated at a pressure of {{convert|300|psi|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}} and a temperature of {{convert|620|°F}}. The turbines developed a total of {{convert|36000|shp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|35.5|kn|lk=in}}. The destroyers carried a maximum of {{convert|470|-|480|LT|t}} of [[fuel oil]] that gave them a range of {{convert|6350|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|15|kn}}.<ref name=l0>Lenton, pp. 156, 58</ref>

[[File:HMS Foxhound forward guns IWM A 18772.jpg|thumb|left|''Foxhound''{{'}}s forward guns, August 1943]]
All of the ships had the same main armament, four [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|quick-firing (QF)]] [[4.7 inch QF Mark IX & XII|{{convert|4.7|in|mm|adj=on}} 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 the [[Breech-loading weapon|breech]] of the gun to be lowered below deck height.<ref>Whitley, p. 103</ref> They fired a {{convert|50|lb|kg|adj=on|1}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2650|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} to a range of {{convert|16970|yd|m}}.<ref>Campbell, p. 48</ref> For [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) defence, they had two quadruple mounts for the [[Vickers .50 machine gun|QF 0.5-inch Vickers Mk III]] machine gun on platforms between the [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]s. The E- and F-class ships were fitted with two quadruple mounts for [[British 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s. The ships, except for the minelayers, were also equipped with two throwers and one rack for 20 [[depth charge]]s. The stern of the minelayers was fitted with a pair of [[sponson]]s that housed part of the mechanical chain-conveyor system and to ensure smooth delivery of her mines.<ref name=l1>Lenton, pp. 156–58</ref> 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 their [[davit]]s had to be removed.<ref>Friedman, p. 218</ref>

The main guns were controlled by an [[Admiralty Fire Control Clock]] Mk I that used data derived from the manually operated [[List of British ordnance terms#DCT|director-control tower]] and the separate {{convert|9|ft|adj=on}} [[Rangefinding telemeter|rangefinder]] situated above the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]]. They had no capability for anti-aircraft fire and the anti-aircraft guns were aimed solely by eye.<ref>Campbell, pp. 14–15; Hodges & Friedman, pp. 12, 17</ref>

===Wartime modifications===
Beginning in May 1940, the after bank of torpedo tubes was removed and replaced with a [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt gun|QF 12-pounder 20-cwt anti-aircraft gun]],<ref group=Note>"Cwt" is the abbreviation for [[hundredweight]], 20 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.</ref> the after mast and funnel being cut down to improve the gun's field of fire. Four to eight [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|QF 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon]] [[Autocannon|cannon]]s 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 mounted [[wikt:abreast|abreast]] the [[searchlight]] platform.<ref name=l1/> Early in the war, depth charge stowage increased to 38.<ref>Friedman, pp. 236–37</ref> By 1943, all the surviving ships, except {{HMS|Fury|H76|2}} had the 'Y' gun on the [[Deck (ship)|quarterdeck]] 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 a [[Huff-Duff]] [[radio direction finder]] on a short [[mainmast]] and for more depth charges. All of the survivors, except perhaps for {{HMS|Echo|H23|2}}, had 'A' or 'B' gun replaced by a [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] anti-submarine [[spigot mortar]], and their director-control tower and rangefinder above the bridge removed in exchange for a [[Type 271 radar|Type 271]] target-indication [[radar]], {{HMS|Fame|H78|2}} had her 'A' gun reinstalled by 1944. A [[Type 286 radar|Type 286]] short-range, surface-search radar, adapted from the [[Royal 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.  {{HMS|Express|H61|2}}'s modifications differed somewhat in that 'B' gun was replaced by a twin-gun [[QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss]] mount and a split Hedgehog installation. In addition, she retained her 12-pounder gun, but her remaining torpedo tubes were removed.<ref name=l1/>

===Flotilla leaders===
For the first time since the [[A-class destroyer (1929)|A class]] of the 1927 programme, the [[flotilla leader]]s 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 three [[Boiler room (ship)|boiler room]] layout to enhance water-tight integrity. The leaders were not fitted for minesweeping or minelaying.<ref>Whitley, p. 105</ref> They displaced {{convert|1475|-|1495|LT|t}} at standard load and {{convert|2010|-|2050|LT|t}} at deep load. The ships had an overall length of {{convert|343|ft|m|1}}, a beam of {{convert|33|ft|9|in|m|1}} and a draught of {{convert|12|ft|6|in|m|1}}.<ref name=l0/> The ships carried a total of 175 personnel which included the staff of the [[Captain (D)]], commanding officer of the flotilla.<ref>Whitley, pp. 97, 105</ref> Their turbines were {{convert|2000|shp|abbr=on}} more powerful than the [[private ship]]s, which made them {{convert|0.5|kn}} faster; their propulsion machinery was otherwise identical. {{HMS|Exmouth|H02|2}} was an early wartime loss and consequently received no modifications, but {{HMS|Faulknor|H62|2}} survived the war. Her modifications differed somewhat from those of the private ships. She received a {{convert|4|in|adj=on|0}} 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 quadruple [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF two-pounder "pom-pom"]] mount replaced 'Q' gun between the funnels. Finally her rangefinder was replaced by a high-angle director fitted with a [[Type 285 radar|Type 285]] gunnery radar.<ref name=l1/>

==Ships==
===E class===
[[File:HMS Eclipse WWII IWM FL 11548.jpg|thumb|''Eclipse'' at anchor before 1943]]
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
!scope="col"|Ship
!scope="col"|Builder <ref name=l57/>
!scope="col"|[[Laid down]]<ref name=e63>English, p. 63</ref>
!scope="col"|[[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]<ref name=l57>Lenton, p. 157</ref>
!scope="col"|Completed <ref name=e63/>
!scope="col"|Fate
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Exmouth|H02|2}} (flotilla leader)
|[[HMNB Portsmouth|HM Dockyard, Portsmouth]]
|15 May 1933
|7 February 1934
|9 November 1934
| Sunk by the {{GS|U-22|1936|6}}, 21 January 1940
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Echo|H23|2}}
|rowspan=2|[[William Denny & Brothers]], [[Dumbarton]]
|20 March 1933
|16 February 1934
|22 October 1934
|Transferred to [[Hellenic Navy|Greece]] as ''Navarinon'' in 1944; returned to RN in 1956 and scrapped
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Eclipse|H08|2}}
|22 March 1933
|12 April 1934
|29 November 1934
| Sunk by a mine, 24 October 1943
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Electra|H27|2}}
|rowspan=2|[[Hawthorn Leslie & Company]], [[Hebburn]]
| rowspan="2" |15 March 1933
|15 February 1934
|13 September 1934
| Sunk in the [[Battle of the Java Sea]], 27 February 1942
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Encounter|H10|2}}
|29 March 1934
|2 November 1934
|Sunk in the [[Second Battle of the Java Sea]], 1 March 1942
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Escapade|H17|2}}
|rowspan=2|[[Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Company]], [[Greenock]]
| rowspan="2" |30 March 1933
|30 January 1934
|30 August 1934
|Scrapped 1947
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Escort|H66|2}}
|29 March 1934
|30 October 1934
| Torpedoed by the {{ship|Italian submarine|Guglielmo Marconi|1939|6}}, 8 July 1940; sank while under tow, 11 July
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Esk|H15|2}}
|rowspan=2|[[Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson]], [[Wallsend]]
| rowspan="2" |24 March 1933
|19 March 1934
|28 September 1934
| Sunk by mine, 31 August 1940
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Express|H61|2}}
|29 May 1934
|2 November 1934
|Transferred to RCN as HMCS ''Gatineau''
|}

===F class===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
!scope="col"|Ship
!scope="col"|Builder <ref name=e6/>
!scope="col"|Laid down <ref name=l59/>
!scope="col"|Launched <ref name=e6>English, p. 76</ref>
!scope="col"|Completed <ref name=l59>Lenton, pp. 158–159</ref>
!scope="col"|Fate
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Faulknor|H62|2}} (flotilla leader)
|[[Yarrow & Company|Yarrow]], [[Scotstoun]]
|31 July 1933
|12 June 1934
|24 May 1935
|Scrapped, 1946
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Fame|H78|2}}
|[[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]], [[Wallsend]]
|5 July 1933
|28 June 1934
|26 April 1935
|Sold to [[Dominican Navy|Dominican Republic]] as ''Generalisimo'' 1949, scrapped 1968
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Fearless|H67|2}}
|[[Cammell Laird]], [[Birkenhead]]
|17 March 1933
|12 May 1934
|22 December 1934
| Torpedoed by Italian aircraft and scuttled, 23 July 1941
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Firedrake|H79|2}}
|Parsons, Wallsend
|5 July 1933
|28 June 1934
|30 May 1935
| Sunk by the {{GS|U-211||6}}, 16/17 December 1942
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Foresight|H68|2}}
|Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
|21 July 1933
|29 June 1934
|15 May 1935
| Torpedoed by an Italian bomber and scuttled by [[HMS Tartar (F43)|HMS ''Tartar'']], 13 August 1942
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Forester|H74|2}}
|[[J. Samuel White]], [[Cowes]]
|15 May 1933
|28 June 1934
|29 March 1935
|Scrapped, 1946
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Fortune|H70|2}}
|rowspan=2|[[John Brown & Company|John Brown]], [[Clydebank]]
|25 July 1933
|29 August 1934
|27 April 1935
| Transferred to RCN as HMCS ''Saskatchewan'', 1943
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Foxhound|H69|2}}
|21 August 1933
|12 October 1934
|6 June 1935
|Transferred to RCN as HMCS ''Qu'Appelle'', 1944
|-
!scope="row"|{{HMS|Fury|H76|2}}
|J. Samuel White, Cowes
|19 May 1933
|10 September 1934
|18 May 1935
|Scrapped after mine and collision damage, 1944
|}

==Service==
[[File:HMS (H02) Exmouth in leaving the port of Bilbao in 1936.jpg|thumb|''Exmouth'' leaving [[Bilbao]], 22 October 1936]]
All of the E class were assigned to the [[5th Destroyer Flotilla]] (DF) of the Home Fleet upon [[Ship commissioning|commissioning]] during 1934. Following the [[Second Italo-Ethiopian War|Italian 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 the [[Spanish 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 the [[6th 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 the [[7th Destroyer Flotilla|7th]] and [[8th Destroyer Flotilla]]s, respectively. In mid-1939, newly commissioned [[J-, K- and N-class destroyer|J-class destroyers]] began to replace the E-class ships and they were reduced to [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] for lack of manpower. Increasing tensions with Nazi Germany in August, caused the British to mobilize the Navy's [[History of the Royal Naval Reserve|reserves]], which allowed the ships to be manned again and assigned to the [[12th Destroyer Flotilla]] of the Home Fleet.<ref name=e4>English, pp. 64–74, 76–86</ref>

When the war began on 3 September, the E-class ships, except for the two minelayers, ''Esk'' and ''Express'', were assigned to the [[Western Approaches Command]] (WAC) for convoy escort and patrolling duties, while the Fs remained with the Home Fleet, performing the same sorts of tasks.<ref name=e4/> On 14 September, ''Faulknor'', ''Firedrake'', and ''Foxhound'', escorting the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Ark Royal|91|2}}, sank {{GS|U-39|1938|2}}, the first German [[submarine]] to be lost during the war, after she had unsuccessfully attacked the carrier. Six days later, ''Fearless'', ''Faulknor'', ''Forester'', and ''Fortune'' sank {{GS|U-27|1936|2}}.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 3–4</ref> Most of the E class remained with the WAC until April 1940, but several were transferred to [[Rosyth Command]] at the end of 1939. ''Exmouth'' was one of these and was sunk by {{GS|U-22|1936|2}} on 21 January 1940 in the [[Moray Firth]]. On the other hand, ''Escapade'' forced {{GS|U-63|1939|2}} to the surface on 25 February, which was then scuttled by her crew, and ''Fortune'' sank {{GS|U-44|1939|2}} on 20 March. ''Esk'' and ''Express'' were assigned to the specialist [[20th Destroyer Flotilla]] shortly after the war began, together with the four {{sclass2|I|destroyer|2}}-minelayers, and were busy laying mines in the [[North Sea]] and off the English coast through April–May 1940.<ref name=e4/>

The beginning of the [[Norwegian 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, but ''Forester'' and ''Foxhound'' were part of the escort for the battleship {{HMS|Warspite|03|2}} during the [[Second Battle of Narvik]] on 13 April and the latter helped to sink one German destroyer. While escorting one convoy, ''Fearless'' and the destroyer {{HMS|Brazen|H80|2}} sank {{GS|U-49|1939|2}} two days later.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 17–24</ref> ''Esk'' and ''Express'' were the only two ships committed to the [[evacuation of Dunkirk]] in May–June, each rescuing thousands of Allied troops.<ref name=e74>English, pp. 72, 74</ref>

[[File:HMS Fame 1942 IWM FL 13040.jpg|thumb|''Fame'' at anchor, 5 September 1942]]
''Fearless'', ''Escapade'', ''Faulknor'', and ''Foxhound'' of the 8th DF escorted ''Ark Royal'' and the [[battlecruiser]] {{HMS|Hood|51|2}} to [[Gibraltar]] in late June, where they formed [[Force H]]. Eight days later, they participated in the [[attack on Mers-el-Kébir]] against the [[Vichy French]] ships stationed there, together with ''Forester'', ''Foresight'' and ''Escort''.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 31</ref> The latter ship was sunk by an Italian submarine on 11 July while covering a [[Malta convoy]].<ref>Evans, pp. 50–51</ref> 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 of ''Faulknor'', ''Forester'', ''Foresight'', ''Firedrake'', ''Fortune'', ''Fury'', and {{HMS|Greyhound|H05|2}}.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 35, 37</ref> On the night of 31 August/1 September, ''Esk'', ''Express'' and three other minelaying destroyers laid a minefield off the Dutch island of [[Texel]]. 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.<ref name=e74/> On 13 September, Force H met a convoy that was carrying troops intended to capture [[Dakar]] from the Vichy French that was escorted by {{HMS|Inglefield|D02|2}}, ''Eclipse'', ''Echo'', ''Encounter'', and ''Escapade''. Ten days later they [[Battle of Dakar|attacked Dakar]] where ''Foresight'' and ''Inglefield'' sank the {{ship|French submarine|Persée}}, ''Fortune'' sank the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Ajax||2}} a day later<ref>Rohwer, pp. 38, 42</ref> and ''Foresight'' sank the submarine {{ship|French submarine|Bévéziers|1935|2}} on the 25th. After the battle, ''Escapade'' and ''Echo'' returned to the Home Fleet and resumed their regular duties of fleet escort. On 17 October, ''Fame'' [[Ship grounding|ran aground]] and could not be [[Marine salvage|refloated]] for several months. The following day, ''Firedrake'' together with the destroyer {{HMS|Wrestler|1918|2}} and two Royal Air Force [[flying boat]]s sank the {{ship|Italian submarine|Durbo}}. ''Fury'', ''Encounter'', ''Faulknor'', ''Firedrake'', and ''Forester'' participated in the inconclusive [[Battle of Cape Spartivento]] on 27 November.<ref>English, pp. 65, 67, 69–70, 77–78, 80, 86</ref>

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'' and ''Foxhound'' sank {{GS|U-138|1940|2}} 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 sister ''Foresight'' while ''Firedrake'' 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 at [[Singapore]] the following month. ''Eclipse'', ''Echo'', and ''Electra'' were assigned to the [[3rd 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 German [[commerce raider]]s and on other missions. ''Escapade'' began escorting [[Arctic convoys of World War II|convoys 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 the [[battleship]] {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} and the battlecruiser {{HMS|Repulse|1916|2}} to Singapore in October, together with ''Express''.<ref>English, pp. 65, 67–70, 76, 79, 80–82, 85</ref>

''Express'' and ''Electra'' were half of the escorts for ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' as they sailed north on 9 December, but could do little as the [[Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse|Japanese bombers sank the two capital ships]] other than help to rescue the 3,000-odd survivors. Upon their return to Singapore, they joined ''Encounter'' and the other destroyers there escorting ships between Singapore and the [[Sunda Strait]]. ''Electra'' and ''Encounter'' escorted the [[heavy cruiser]] {{HMS|Exeter|68|2}} during the [[Battle of the Java Sea]] on 27 February 1942. The former ship was sunk by a Japanese destroyer as she covered ''Exeter''{{'}}s withdrawal. Several days later, ''Encounter'' and the American destroyer {{USS|Pope|DD-225|2}} were escorting the damaged ''Exeter'' en route to [[Ceylon]] when they encountered four Japanese heavy cruisers and their escorts. ''Encounter'' and ''Exeter'' were sunk in the [[Second Battle of the Java Sea|subsequent battle]] on 1 March.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 123–24, 146–48</ref> ''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, with ''Foxhound'' following two months later.<ref>English, pp. 74, 84–85</ref>

[[File:HMS Express.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of ''Express'' in November 1942]]
On 27 March, ''Fury'', ''Eclipse'' and the light cruiser {{HMS|Trinidad|46|2}} were escorting [[Convoy 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 and ''Eclipse'' was hit twice, although the cruiser sank the {{ship|German destroyer|Z26}}. ''Foresight'', ''Forester'' and the light cruiser {{HMS|Edinburgh|16|2}} were the close escort for [[Convoy QP 11]], returning from [[Murmansk]] to [[Iceland]], when ''Edinburgh'' 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 damaged ''Foresight'' and ''Forester'' and put another torpedo into ''Edinburgh'', crippling her. The two destroyers took off the survivors and scuttled the cruiser. Temporarily repaired at Murmansk, the sisters were part of ''Trinidad''{{'}}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'', and ''Eclipse'' escorted more Arctic convoys in May–September, ''Faulknor'' sinking {{GS|U-88|1941|2}} on 12 September while escorting [[Convoy PQ 18]]. ''Foresight'' and ''Fury'' were briefly detached to escort the fleet during [[Operation Pedestal]] in August, during which the former was torpedoed and had to be scuttled. While being repaired, ''Fame'' was converted into an [[escort destroyer]] and was assigned to the WAC, joining her sister, ''Fearless'', upon its completion in September. A month later, she sank {{GS|U-353||2}} while protecting [[Convoy SC 104]]. ''Fearless'' was torpedoed and sunk by {{GS|U-211||2}} on 16 December.<ref>English, pp. 65, 70, 78, 80–83; Rohwer, pp. 153, 162, 166–67, 175, 195–96</ref>

[[File:HMS Escapade damage. Greenock WWII IWM A19362.jpg|thumb|The damage suffered by ''Escapade'' after her Hedgehog prematurely detonated on 20 September 1943]]
When convoys to Russia resumed in December 1942, ''Fury'', ''Forester'', ''Faulknor'', ''Eclipse'', and ''Echo'' were assigned as escorts. ''Fury'', and ''Eclipse'' were detached to augment the escorts of the WAC in March–May 1943, joining their sisters, ''Fame'' and ''Escapade'', when German submarine attacks reached their peak.<ref>English, pp. 65, 67, 70, 76, 83, 87</ref> The former had already sunk {{GS|U-69|1940|2}} on 17 February while escorting [[Convoy ONS 165]].<ref>Rohwer, pp. 230–31</ref> ''Express'', ''Fortune'' and ''Foxhound'' 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 the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] and renamed ''Gatineau'' and ''Saskatchewan'' 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 renamed ''Qu'Appelle''. ''Forester'' was assigned to [[Escort 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.<ref>English, pp. 70, 74, 83–85</ref> ''Faulknor'', ''Fury'', ''Echo'', and ''Eclipse'' were transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet to escort the covering force during the [[invasion of Sicily]] in July and the subsequent [[Allied invasion of Italy|landings in mainland Italy]]. ''Faulknor'', ''Fury'', and ''Eclipse'' participated in the [[Dodecanese Campaign]] after the [[surrender of Italy]] in September and the latter ship sank after hitting a mine on 24 October.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 262, 269, 273, 281</ref>

''Echo'' began a long refit at Malta in December and was loaned to the [[Royal Hellenic Navy]] upon its completion in April 1944. Renamed ''Navarinon'', she supported government forces during the [[Greek Civil War]] and was retained after the end of the war. ''Faulknor'' and ''Fury'' later supported operations in Italy before returning to the UK for [[Operation Overlord]] in June.<ref>English, pp. 66, 77, 87</ref> While escorting [[Convoy HX 280]], ''Gatineau'' helped to sink {{GS|U-744||2}} on 6 March, four days later ''Forester'' participated in the sinking of {{GS|U-845||2}}.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 308–09</ref> ''Fame'', ''Forester'', ''Gatineau'', ''Saskatchewan'', and ''Qu'Appelle'' joined their sisters covering the preparations for the invasion of Normandy and the invasion itself. ''Fame'' and two others destroyers sank {{GS|U-767||2}} on 18 June. ''Fury'' struck a mine on 21 June and was forced to [[Beaching (nautical)|beach]] herself to prevent her from sinking. She was written off after she was [[Marine salvage|salvaged]] and was broken up for scrap beginning in September. ''Saskatchewan'' and ''Gatineau'' 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 and ''Forester'' helped to sink {{GS|U-413||2}} on 20 August and then was sent back to the North Atlantic. ''Escapade'' was fitted with the new [[Squid (weapon)|Squid]] anti-submarine mortar when her repairs were finished.<ref>English, pp. 71, 76, 83–84, 86–87</ref>

===Postwar===
''Gatineau'', ''Saskatchewan'', and ''Qu'Appelle'' were used to ferry Canadian troops back home before they were placed in reserve in 1946 and subsequently sold for scrap, although ''Gatineau'' was scuttled in 1948 in [[British Columbia]] to serve as a [[breakwater (structure)|breakwater]]. ''Faulknor'' and ''Forester'' 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 the [[Dominican Republic]] in 1949 and renamed ''Generalissimo''. The ship was renamed ''Sanchez'' 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.<ref>English, pp. 66, 71, 74, 77–78, 83–84, 86</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{Commons category|E and F class destroyer|E- and F-class destroyer}}
*{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Naval Weapons of World War II|year=1985|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-459-4}}
* {{cite book |last1=Douglas |first1=W. A. B.|last2=Sarty |first2=Roger |author3=Michael Whitby |author4=Robert H. Caldwell |author5=William Johnston |author6=William G. P. Rawling |title=No Higher Purpose|series=The Official Operational History of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, 1939–1943 |volume=2 |others=part 1 |year=2002|publisher=Vanwell |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-061-6|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s|year=1993 |publisher=World Ship Society|location=Kendal, England|isbn=0-905617-64-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Evans|first=Arthur S.|title=Destroyer Down: An Account of HM Destroyer Losses 1939–1945 |publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|location=Barnsley, UK|year=2010|isbn=978-1-84884-270-0|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/destroyerdownacc0000evan}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2009 |isbn=978-1-59114-081-8 |author-link=Norman Friedman}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hodges |first1=Peter |last2=Friedman |first2=Norman |title=Destroyer Weapons of World War 2 |year=1979 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location= London|isbn=0-87021-929-4|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998 |isbn=1-55750-048-7 |author-link=Henry Trevor Lenton}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005 |edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Great Britain (including Empire Forces) |last1=Campbell |first1=N. J. M.|pages=2–85}}

{{E and F class destroyer}}
{{Interwar standard destroyer}}
{{WWII British ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:E And F Class Destroyer}}
[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:E and F-class destroyers| ]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]