View source for War Emergency Programme destroyers

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{More footnotes|date=June 2008}}
The '''War Emergency Programme destroyers''' were [[destroyer]]s built for the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Royal Navy]] during [[World War I]] and [[World War II]].

==World War I emergency programmes==
The 323 destroyers ordered during the First World War belonged to several different classes and were the subject of 14 separate War Programmes between 1914 and 1918. 40 of these were cancelled at the end of the war. The total excludes destroyers building in UK for other navies which were purchased for the Royal Navy following the outbreak of war.

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Programme
!Date<br>ordered
!Design
!No of<br>ships
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1st War Programme ||10 September 1914||[[Admiralty M-class destroyer|Admiralty M-class design]]|| 16 ||Six more had been built under <br>pre-war 1913-14 Programme
|-
| September 1914.||[[Yarrow M-class destroyer|Yarrow M-class design]] || 4 ||Three more had been built under <br>pre-war 1913-14 Programme
|-
| rowspan="3" |2nd War Programme ||early November 1914||Admiralty M-class design || 9 
|-
| ||Yarrow M-class design || 1 ||[[HMS Nerissa (1916)|''Nerissa'']]
|-
| ||[[L-class destroyer (1913)|Admiralty L-class design]]|| 2 ||''[[HMS Lochinvar (1915)|Lochinvar]]'' and ''[[HMS Lassoo (1915)|Lassoo]]''
|-
|3rd War Programme ||late November 1914||Admiralty M-class design|| 22 
|-
| rowspan="2" |4th War Programme ||February 1915||Admiralty M-class design|| 16 || including 8 of "Repeat M-class" <br>with raking stems
|-
| ||[[Thornycroft M-class destroyer|Thornycroft M-class design]] || 2 ||2 others had been built under <br>pre-war 1913-14 Programme
|-
| rowspan="4" |5th War Programme ||May 1915||Admiralty M-class design || 16 
|-
| ||Thornycroft M-class design || 2 ||''[[HMS Rapid (1916)|Rapid]]'' and ''[[HMS Ready (1916)|Ready]]''
|-
| ||Yarrow M-class design || 2 ||''Relentless'' and ''Rival''
|-
| ||[[R-class destroyer (1916)|Admiralty R-class design]]|| 2 ||''Radstock'' and ''Raider''
|-
| rowspan="3" |6th War Programme ||July 1915||Admiralty R-class design|| 17 
|-
| ||[[R-class destroyer (1916)|Thornycroft R-class design]] || 3 ||''Rosalind'', ''Radiant'' and ''Retriever''
|-
| ||[[R-class destroyer (1916)|Yarrow R-class design]] || 4 ||''Sabrina'', ''Strongbow'', <br>''Surprise'' and ''Sybille''
|-
| rowspan="2" |7th War Programme ||December 1915|| Admiralty R-class design|| 8 
|-
| ||Thornycroft R-class design || 2 ||''Taurus'' and ''Teazer''
|-
| rowspan="3" |8th War Programme ||5 March 1916||Admiralty R-class design || 12 ||
|-
| || Yarrow R-class design ||3 ||''Truculent'', ''Tyrant'' and ''Ulleswater''
|-
| || Admiralty Modified R-class design || 11 ||last 5 actually ordered<br> on 19 April 1916
|-
| rowspan="2" |9th War Programme ||July 1916|| 23 [[V and W-class destroyer|Admiralty V-class design]]|| 23 || ''[[HMS Vortigern (D37)|Vortigern]]'' and ''[[HMS Vectis (D51)|Vectis]]'' <br>were ordered in August 1916
|-
| August 1916|| [[V and W-class destroyer|Thornycroft V-class design]]|| 2 ||''Viceroy'' and ''Viscount''
|-
| rowspan="2" |10th War Programme ||9 December 1916|| [[V and W-class destroyer|Admiralty W-class design]]|| 19
|-
| ||[[V and W-class destroyer|Thornycroft W-class design]]|| 2 || ''[[HMS Wolsey|Wolsey]]'' and ''[[HMS Woolston (1918)|Woolston]]''
|-
| rowspan="3" |11th War Programme ||9 April 1917|| [[S-class destroyer (1917)|Admiralty S-class design]]|| 24 
|-
| ||[[S-class destroyer (1917)|Thornycroft S-class design]]|| 2 || ''[[HMS Speedy (1918)|Speedy]]'' and ''[[HMS Tobago (1918)|Tobago]]''
|-
| ||[[S-class destroyer (1917)|Yarrow S-class design]]|| 7 ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |12th War Programme ||June 1917||Admiralty S-class design || 33 ||2 of which were <br>cancelled in 1919
|-
| || Thornycroft S-class design || 3 ||''Torbay'', ''Toreador'' and ''Tourmaline''
|-
| rowspan="2" |13th War Programme ||January 1918|| [[V and W-class destroyer|Admiralty Modified W-class design]] || 14 ||7 of which were <br>cancelled in 1919
|-
| ||[[V and W-class destroyer|Thornycroft Modified W-class design]]|| 2 ||''Wishart'' and ''Witch''
|-
|14th War Programme ||April 1918|| Admiralty Modified W-class design || 38 ||31 of which were cancelled<br> in late 1918 or 1919)
|}

==World War II emergency programme==
The 112 destroyers built during the Second World War were based on the hull and machinery of the earlier [[J-, K- and N-class destroyer]]s of the 1930s. Each of the fourteen flotillas produced consisted of eight destroyers. Due to supply problems and the persistent failure by the Royal Navy to develop a suitable dual-purpose weapon for destroyers, they were fitted with whatever armament was available. Advances in radar and weaponry were incorporated as they came available. As a result, they were a relatively heterogeneous class incorporating many wartime advances, but ultimately based on a hull that was too small and with an armament too light to be true first-rate vessels equivalent of their contemporaries. As such they are often described as "utility" destroyers. It was not until the {{sclass2|Battle|destroyer|1}} of 1944 that the Royal Navy returned to building larger destroyers. Many vessels were transferred to friendly navies.

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Class
!Flotilla
!Date ordered
|-
|[[O and P-class destroyer|O class]]|| 1st Emergency Flotilla || 3 September 1939
|-
|[[O and P-class destroyer|P class]]|| 2nd Emergency Flotilla || 2 October 1939
|-
|[[Q and R-class destroyer|Q class]]|| 3rd Emergency Flotilla || end March 1940
|-
|[[Q and R-class destroyer|R class]]|| 4th Emergency Flotilla || early April 1940
|-
|[[S and T-class destroyer|S class]]|| 5th Emergency Flotilla || 9 January 1941
|-
|[[S and T-class destroyer|T class]]|| 6th Emergency Flotilla || March 1941
|-
|[[U and V-class destroyer|U class]]|| 7th Emergency Flotilla || 12 June 1941
|-
|[[U and V-class destroyer|V class]]|| 8th Emergency Flotilla || 1 September 1941
|-
|[[W and Z-class destroyer|W class]]|| 9th Emergency Flotilla || 3 December 1941
|-
|[[W and Z-class destroyer|Z class]]|| 10th Emergency Flotilla || 12 February 1942
|-
|[[C-class destroyer (1943)|Ca- class]]|| 11th Emergency Flotilla || 16 February 1942
|-
|[[C-class destroyer (1943)|Ch- class]]|| 12th Emergency Flotilla || 24 July 1942
|-
|[[C-class destroyer (1943)|Co- class]]|| 13th Emergency Flotilla || 24 July 1942
|-
|[[C-class destroyer (1943)|Cr- class]]|| 14th Emergency Flotilla || 12 September 1942
|}
The 15th Emergency Flotilla, which would have had ships with names starting with Ce, was cancelled in favour of building the [[Weapon-class destroyer]]s. The two ships being built, ''Centaur'' and ''Celt'', became ''Tomahawk'' and ''Sword''.

=== Design changes ===
* The P, and 3 ships of the O, flotilla were fitted with 4-inch guns with a new design of tall gunshield. As a result, they carried only the Rangefinder-Director Mark II(W) for fire control.
* From the Q and R class onwards a transom stern was incorporated.
* From the S and T class onwards the bow was revised to a design based on that of the {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer|1||1936}}, to improve sea-keeping.
* From the Q and R class the main gun calibre returned to 4.7&nbsp;inches.
* From the R flotilla onwards the officer's accommodation was forwards, instead of aft as was traditional Royal Navy practice
* The S flotilla altered the position of the searchlight between the torpedo tubes with the medium anti-aircraft position abaft the funnel. This more logical arrangement gave the anti-aircraft gun improved arcs of fire in the forward field.
* The S class introduced the new mounting CP Mark XXII for the 4.7-inch guns. This could readily be distinguished from the older mounting CP Mark XVIII of the O, Q and R by its sharply raked face, allowing increased elevation.
* S-class {{HMS|Savage|G20|2}} incorporated the new [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun|4.5-inch gun Mark III]], in a prototype twin dual-purpose turret BD Mark IV forward and 4.5-inch gun Mark IV in single mountings CP Mark V aft. The former would be introduced in the Battle-class destroyer.
* The T flotilla introduced the [[Lattice mast|lattice foremast]], to support the ever-increasing weight of masthead electronics.
* The W flotilla introduced the dual-purpose Director Mark III(W), replacing the low-angle Destroyer DCT and High-Angle Rangefinder-Director Mark II(W) in use since the Q and R class.
* The Z flotilla introduced the new dual-purpose Director Mark I Type K and the 4.5-inch gun in single mountings CP Mark V as trialled in ''Savage''. These mountings were based on the CP Mark XXII used in the later 4.7-inch gunned ships; there was no obvious difference.
* The Ch- flotilla introduced the dual-purpose Director Mark VI with full remote-power control (RPC) for gunlaying. One set of torpedo tubes was removed to counter the increased topweight.
* All ships used the [[Fuze Keeping Clock]] High Angle Fire Control Computer.<ref>Destroyer Weapons of WW2, Hodges/Friedman, {{ISBN|0-85177-137-8}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Type 15 frigate]]: postwar full conversion of Wartime Emergency Programme destroyers into first-rate fast [[anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine]] [[frigate]]s
*[[Type 16 frigate]]: postwar partial conversion of Wartime Emergency Programme destroyers into second-rate fast anti-submarine frigates

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book|last=Cocker|first=Maurice|title=Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981|year=1983|location=London, UK|publisher=Ian Allan|isbn=0-7110-1075-7}}
*{{cite book|last1=Dittmar|first1=F.J.|last2=Colledge|first2=J.J.|title=British Warships 1914–1919|year=1972|publisher=Ian Allan|location=Shepperton, UK|isbn=0-7110-0380-7 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War|year=2009|location=Barnsley, UK|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-1-84832-049-9}}
*{{cite book|last1=Gardiner|first1=Robert|last2=Gray|first2=Randal|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-245-5 |name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=March|first=Edgar J.|title=British Destroyers|year=1966|location=London, UK|publisher=Seeley Service & Co.}}
*{{cite book|last=Raven|first=Alan|author2=Roberts, John |title=War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes|publisher=Bivouac Books|location=London|year=1978|isbn=0-85680-010-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War 2|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland}}

{{War Emergency Programme destroyers}}

[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:Destroyers of the Royal Navy| ]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom| ]]