Tribals, battles & darings : the genesis of the modern destroyer /Alexander Clarke.

"The ships that dominate so much of the history of the Royal Navy in the Second World War are more often than not the carriers or battleships - Ark Royal, Warspite, Hood - and rarely do ships smaller than cruisers move centre stage. Apart fhat is from one class, the 'Tribal' class destroyers, heroes of the Altmark incident, of the second battle of Narvik, and countless actions across all theatres of operation. Yet there has been surprisingly little written about the origin of these ships, still less about their wartime successors, the 'Battle' class, or their postwar incarnations, the Daring class. Thie book rectifies this by describing the three classes, each designed under different circumstances along destroyer lines but to general-purpose light cruiser form, from the interwar period throuhg to the 1950s, and the author explains the procurement process for each class in the context of the needs and technology of the times. Taken together these classes represent the genesis of the modern general-purpose destroyer, breaking from the torpedo boat destroyer concept into a self-reliant, multi-purpose combatant, capable fo stepping up to the cruiser's traditional peacetime patrol missions whilst also fulfilling the picket and fighting duties of the wartime light cruiser or heavy destroyer. This is the first work to analyse these three classes side by side, to examine their conception, their creation and their operational stories, many heroic, and provide an insight into ship design, operation and culture; and in doing so the book aims to contribute a better understanding of one of the most signidicant periods in the Royal Navy's history. In its clear description of the genesis of the modern destroyer, this book will give the reader a clearer picture of its future developments as well."--Provided by the publisher.