C and D - class destroyer The C and D class was a group of 14 destroyer s built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s . As in previous years , it was originally intended to order a complete flotilla comprising eight destroyers — plus a flotilla leader as the ninth unit — in each year . However , only four ships — plus a leader — were ordered under the 1929 – 30 Programme as the C class . The other four ships planned for the C class were never ordered as an economy measure and disarmament gesture by the Labour government of Ramsay Macdonald . A complete flotilla — the ' D ' class — was ordered under the 1930 – 31 Programme . The five ships of the C class were assigned to Home Fleet upon their completion , although they reinforced the Mediterranean Fleet during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia of 1935 – 36 and enforced the Non - Intervention Agreement during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 – 39 . They were transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy ( RCN ) in 1937 – 39 and spent most of their time during World War II on convoy escort duties in the Atlantic Ocean . " Crescent " was sunk when she was accidentally rammed by the British cruiser HMS " Calcutta " in 1940 . " Crusader " was sunk by a German submarine in 1942 , though she had sunk an Italian submarine in 1940 . The other ships of the class sank three German submarines during the war . They were all worn out by the end of the war and were scrapped in 1946 – 47 . The D - class destroyers were initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet upon commissioning , but were transferred to the China Station in 1935 . Like the C class , most were temporarily deployed in the Red Sea when the Italians invaded Abyssinia , but returned to the China Station when that was over . They were still there when the war began , but reinforced the Mediterranean Fleet shortly afterwards . Five ships were transferred to Home Fleet in December 1939 , but " Duchess " was sunk en route when she was accidentally rammed by the battleship HMS " Barham " , and " Duncan " was badly damaged when she collided with a merchant ship , requiring lengthy repairs . " Daring " was sunk by a German submarine in February 1940 . The other two participated in the Norwegian Campaign of April – June , but " Delight " was sunk by German aircraft in July and " Diana " was transferred to the RCN as a replacement for the " Crescent " after she eas sunk by the cruiser " Calcutta " . However , she too was rammed and sunk several months later by a freighter that she was escorting . The four ships that remained with the Mediterranean Fleet sank three Italian submarines in 1940 while escorting Malta convoys and larger warships of the fleet . Several participated in the Battles of Calabria and Cape Spartivento that year . " Duncan " joined Force H at Gibraltar in October and escorted that group . " Dainty " was sunk by German bombers in February 1941 and " Diamond " in April whilst evacuating Allied personnel from Greece . " Defender " had to be scuttled in July when she was crippled by a German bomber when returning from escorting a convoy to Tobruk . " Duncan " and " Decoy " remained on escort duties for the rest of the year before being transferred to the Eastern Fleet in early 1942 . They returned to the UK late in the year to begin conversions to escort destroyer s . " Decoy " was transferred to the RCN in early 1943 , but both became convoy escorts in the Atlantic . They sank two German submarines before being assigned to the UK to protect Allied shipping during Operation Overlord . They sank three more submarines before the end of the war and were paid off in 1945 . " Duncan " was scrapped 1945 – 49 and " Decoy " during 1946 . Design and description . These ships were based on the preceding B class , but were enlarged to increase their endurance and to allow for the inclusion of a QF 3 - inch 20 cwt anti - aircraft gun . This class introduced a director control tower for British destroyers . The ' C ' class were unique in having a split bridge , with the compass platform and wheelhouse separated from the chartroom and director tower . This unusual layout was not repeated . As per Admiralty policy in alternating Two - Speed Destroyer Sweep ( TSDS ) minesweeping gear and ASDIC ( sonar ) capability between destroyer flotillas , the C class lacked ASDIC and were designed to carry only six depth charge s . The D class were repeats of the C ' s , except that the TSDS was replaced by storage for up to 30 depth charges and ASDIC . The C and D class destroyers displaced at standard load and at deep load . The ships had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . They were powered by Parsons geared steam turbines , driving two shafts , which developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . Steam for the turbines was provided by three Admiralty 3 - drum water - tube boilers that operated at a pressure of and a temperature of . The destroyers carried a maximum of of fuel oil that gave them a range of at . Their complement was 145 officers and men . , leader of the C class , displaced more than her destroyers and carried an extra 30 personnel who formed the staff of the Captain ( D ) , commanding officer of the flotilla . Unique among the C and D - class ships , she had three Yarrow water - tube boilers that operated at a pressure of . , leader of the ' D ' class , displaced more than her destroyers and also carried an extra 30 personnel . All of the ships of the class mounted four 45 - calibre 4 . 7 - inch Mk IX guns in single mounts , designated ' A ' , ' B ' , ' X ' , and ' Y ' from front to rear . For anti - aircraft ( AA ) defence , they had a single QF 3 - inch 20 cwt AA gun between her funnels . The C - class ships carried two QF 2 - pounder Mk II AA guns mounted on the aft end of their forecastle deck . The D - class destroyers had been intended to carry the new QF 0 . 5 - inch Vickers Mk III machine gun in quadruple mountings on the bridge wings , but these were not initially available , so the old 2 - pounder guns were retained in " Daring " , " Diana " , " Diamond " and " Defender " . The 3 - inch AA gun was removed in 1936 – 37 , and the 2 - pounders were relocated between the funnels on platforms . The main guns were controlled by an Admiralty Fire Control Clock Mk I that used data derived from the director and the rangefinder . They had no capability for anti - aircraft fire and the anti - aircraft guns were aimed solely by eye . When purchased by Canada in 1937 – 38 , the four C - class destroyers were refitted to meet Canadian specifications , including the installation of Type 124 ASDIC . It is not clear how much " Kempenfelt " had been modified when she was turned over in October 1939 , other than steam heating had yet been fitted . Wartime modifications . Beginning in May 1940 , the after bank of torpedo tubes was removed and replaced with a QF 12 - pounder Mk V anti - aircraft gun , the after mast and funnel being cut down to improve the gun ' s field of fire . Four to six QF 20 mm Oerlikon cannon s were added to the surviving ship , usually replacing the 2 - pounder or . 50 - calibre machine gun mounts between the funnels . One pair of these was added to the bridge wings and the other pair was mounted on the searchlight platform . Early in the war , depth charge stowage increased to 33 in the C class , while the D class carried 38 . ' Y ' gun on the quarterdeck was removed on many ships to allow for additional depth charge stowage as was the 12 - pounder . On at least one ship , this latter gun replaced ' X ' gun . Most ships had either ' A ' or ' B ' gun replaced by a Hedgehog anti - submarine spigot mortar , although " Duncan " retained both and received a split Hedgehog that was mounted on either side of ' A ' gun . Some ships that received the Hedgehog in ' B ' position also mounted two old QF 6 - pounder Hotchkiss gun s for use against U - boats at very close range . Most ships had their director - control tower and rangefinder above the bridge removed in exchange for a Type 271 target - indication radar . A 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 . Some ships also received a Huff - Duff radio direction finder on a short mainmast . Service . All five of the C class were assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet upon commissioning during 1932 . Following the 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 , they were deployed to Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 – 37 to intercept shipping carrying contraband goods to Spain and to protect British - flagged ships . " Crescent " and " Cygnet " were sold to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1937 and " Comet " and " Crusader " in 1938 . " Kempenfelt " was bought in 1939 , but the Royal Navy did not turn her over until enough auxiliary anti - submarine ships had been commissioned to replace her after World War II had started . All four ' C ' - class ships were stationed at Esquimalt in British Columbia when the war began , but only " Fraser " and " St . Laurent " were immediately recalled to begin convoy escort duties on the Atlantic Coast , the other two following in November . " Assiniboine " was sent to the Caribbean for local escort duties in December where she assisted in the capture of the blockade runner in March 1940 . " Fraser " , " St . Laurent " , and " Restigouche " were transferred to the UK in late May and helped to evacuate refugees from France . " Fraser " was sunk on 25 June 1940 in a collision with the anti - aircraft cruiser in the Gironde estuary while the other two were assigned to the Western Approaches Command for escort duties . The remaining ships spent most of the rest of the war escorting convoys in the North Atlantic , based in either Canada or the UK . " Ottawa " assisted the British destroyer in sinking the on 7 November 1940 . She was sunk by the on 14 September 1942 whilst escorting Convoy ON 127 . " St . Laurent " had her first victory on 27 December 1942 when she was credited with sinking whilst defending Convoy ON 154 . Together with the destroyer , and the frigate s and , she sank . Whilst escorting Convoy SC 94 on 3 August 1942 , " Assiniboine " rammed and sank . " Restigouche " never sank a submarine , but she and " St . Laurent " were transferred to the UK to protect the shipping mustering for Operation Overlord in May 1944 and " Assiniboine " followed in July . They saw some action against German patrol boats in the Bay of Biscay , but " Restigouche " and " St . Laurent " were in poor shape by this time and were sent back to Canada for lengthy refits in late 1944 . They remained in Canada after the completion of their refits in early 1945 , whilst " Assiniboine " remained in the UK until June . All three ships transported Canadian troops home after VE Day until they were decommissioned in late 1945 . All three were broken up in 1946 – 47 . Upon commissioning in 1932 – 33 , the D class formed the 1st Destroyer Flotilla assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet . The flotilla toured the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea in September – November 1933 . After refitting in the UK during 1934 , the flotilla was transferred to the China Station , arriving at Hong Kong in January 1935 and renumbered as the 8th Destroyer Flotilla . Most of the flotilla was sent to the Red Sea during the Italian invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 – 36 . They returned to the Hong Kong in mid - 1936 and remained there until World War II began . " Diamond " was in the midst of a refit that lasted until November , but the rest of the flotilla was immediately transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet . " Daring " was kept in the Red Sea for escort duties until November , but the rest of the flotilla was used on contraband patrol duties upon arrival . They all needed repairs which were made before the end of the year . " Duncan " , " Diana " , " Duchess " , " Delight " and " Daring " were transferred to the Home Fleet in December 1939 , although " Duchess " was rammed and sunk on 10 December by the battleship that she was escorting . " Duncan " was so badly damaged in a collision with a merchant ship in January 1940 that her repairs required six months to complete . " Daring " was sunk by the on 18 February whilst escorting a convoy from Norway . " Diana " and " Delight " were assigned to convoy escort duties in early 1940 , before participating in the Norwegian Campaign in April – June . Whilst attempting to sail through the English Channel in daylight , contrary to orders , " Delight " was sunk by German aircraft on 29 July . After a brief refit in July – August , " Diana " was transferred to the RCN to replace HMCS " Fraser " which had been sunk in a collision by a Royal Navy cruiser . Recommissioned on 6 September and renamed HMCS " Margaree " , the ship was assigned to convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic . On 22 October , she was sunk in a collision with the freighter . The remaining four ships of the flotilla were briefly assigned to Freetown , West Africa in early 1940 to escort convoys passing through the area and to search for German commerce raiders . They were all recalled to the Mediterranean in April – May in anticipation of Italian entry into the war . " Decoy " , " Defender " , and " Dainty " sank two Italian submarines , " Dainty " sinking one more with the destroyer in June , before they participated in the Battle of Calabria early the following month . " Diamond " joined her sisters in late July and all four ships escorted convoys and the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet for the rest of the year . " Duncan " joined Force H at Gibraltar in October and participated in the inconclusive Battle of Cape Spartivento together with " Diamond " and " Defender " in November . " Decoy " had been damaged by aircraft earlier that month and was under repair until February 1941 . Whilst patrolling the North African coast on 24 February with the destroyer , " Dainty " was sunk by German bombers . " Duncan " , " Diamond " and " Defender " continued to provide escorts as needed in early 1941 , although " Duncan " was transferred to Freetown in March . " Decoy " , " Defender " and " Diamond " evacuated Allied troops from Greece and Crete in April – May , although " Diamond " was sunk by German aircraft on 27 April while doing so . After " Defender " participated in the invasion of Vichy French - controlled Syria and Lebanon in June , she joined " Decoy " in escorting convoys to Tobruk and was badly damaged when returning from one of these missions . The ship was attacked by a single German Junkers Ju 88 bomber on 11 July and had to be scuttled by her consort , the Australian destroyer . " Duncan " rejoined Force H that same month and she escorted several major convoys to Malta before returning to the UK in October for a lengthy refit . " Decoy " was damaged in a collision in December and was repaired at Malta until February 1942 . " Decoy " was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in March and was escorting Force B when the Japanese carriers attacked Ceylon . The Japanese never spotted Force B , and the ship remained with the fleet until ordered home in September to convert to an escort destroyer . After " Duncan " s refit was completed in January 1942 , she rejoined Force H and escorted several missions to fly off Royal Air Force fighters from aircraft carriers to Malta before she was transferred to the Eastern Fleet in April to support Operation Ironclad , the invasion of Diego Suarez , in early May . She , too , was recalled to the UK to be modified as an escort destroyer . " Decoy " was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on 1 March 1943 during her conversion and was recommissioned on 12 April with the new name of HMCS " Kootenay " ( the ship was gifted to the Canadians on 15 June ) . After working up , she was assigned to Escort Group C5 for convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic . In April , " Duncan " joined Escort Group B - 7 . Whilst defending Convoy ON - 207 on 23 October , " Duncan " , together with the destroyer and a Consolidated B - 24 Liberator of No . 224 Squadron RAF , sank . Later the same month , on 29 October , " Duncan " shared the sinking of with " Vidette " and the corvette whilst protecting Convoy ON - 208 . Both ships remained on escort duty until May 1944 when they were transferred to the UK in preparation for Operation Overlord . " Duncan " was assigned to the Western Approaches Command , conducting anti - submarine operations , for the rest of the war . " Kootenay " was tasked to protect Allied shipping in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay and , together with other ships , she sank in the English Channel on 7 July 1944 , in the Bay of Biscay on 18 August , and , two days later , west of Brest . After a lengthy refit in Canada from October 1944 to February 1945 , " Kootenay " returned to the UK and was assigned to the Western Approaches Command until the end of the war . She then transported returning troops in Canada until paid off in October . She was sold for scrap in 1946 . " Duncan " was paid off in May and sold in July although she was not completely broken up until 1949 .