The Royal Navy entered World War II with a large but eclectic fleet of destroyers. Some of these were veterans of World War I, fit only for escort duties. Most, though, had been built during the interwar period and were regarded as both reliable and versatile. Yet danger lurked across the seas as new destroyers being built in Germany, Italy, and Japan were larger and better armored.

So, until the new, larger Tribal-class destroyers could enter service, these vessels would have to hold the line. Used mainly to hunt submarines, protect convoys from aerial attack, and take out other destroyers, these ships served across the globe during the war. This fully illustrated study is the first in a two-part series on the real workhorses of the wartime Royal Navy, focusing on how these aging ships took on the formidable navies of the Axis powers.

Angus Konstam is the author of over fifty books, including The History of Pirates and Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate. He worked as the Curator of Weapons at the Tower of London and as the Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Paul Wright paints steel and steam warships from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Paul's art has illustrated the works of Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope, and C. S. Forester.