Australian Destroyers

[Lowpe]

The at start Australian Destroyers aren't that great. After the 6/42 upgrade they get more better ASW, but air search radar is very short range and the AA boost is low altitude.

The Stuart at least has decent range, and ASW off the start, but horrible AA, weak main guns, and decent torpedo capability.

Admiralty V class ships start with V names.

[Lowpe]

A trick to easily identify the class of British/Aussie destroyers:

The alphabet destroyers usually have names starting with their class designation -- all the Q class start with Q, N for N. I have only found one destroyer that violates this naming convention.

Tribal class destroyers don't follow this guideline.

On the reinforcement screen, AA capable guns don't have asterisks.

[BBfanboy]

But Stuart's crew experience makes her one of the best ASW ships available in the early game for the Allies.
She also shoots guns and torps quite accurately but her small size makes her fragile in a slugging match.

[Lowpe]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

But Stuart's crew experience makes her one of the best ASW ships available in the early game for the Allies.
She also shoots guns and torps quite accurately but her small size makes her fragile in a slugging match.

If you plan on using your Carriers early, I would recommend sending her to meet up with them, simply for the ASW. Early war the American CVs are in such great danger from Iboats...however her weak AA is definitely against her in continuing in the CV Escort role.

I am glad you mentioned experience, as it is extremely important, and Stuart has both day and night time experience![&o]

[BBfanboy]

The Tribal class were the British answer to the Super-Destroyers being built in other nations - German DDs above Z-20, French Le Fantasque type, and US Selfridge class for example. They were designed for gun duels in limited waters like the English Channel, North Sea and the Med. No surprise that the Tribal class could not find enough tribes starting with "T" to name all of the class in that way. I can only recall Tartar with that starting letter but Cossack was very famous for rescuing the merchant sailors captured by Graf Spee and transferred to tanker Altmark.

[jdsrae]

Stuart and the V class were nicknamed the Scrap Iron Flotilla. They worked their guts out in the Med so were already tired when they got back to the Pacific.
Stuart was the “leader” so I try to keep these ships together and use them as a Division.
All Commonwealth pre war destroyers would be better relegated to convoy escort duty based on age and mileage, but even when the new DDs start arriving there aren’t enough for that luxury. I tend to keep them in Divisions by class and with the capital ships.
Incidentally, some Q class are RN in game but at some point, maybe post war, were transferred to the RAN.
Churchill can complain all he wants, but I send the Aussie DDs to join the Aussie cruisers.

[jdsrae]

Yep the Q class shown as RN in game transferred to RAN post war.
Well done navy database team
http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-quality

[John 3rd]

WE added four DDs to the Aussie/New Zealand Navies so they have some form of escort for the CAV that is given to each fleet. Pretty decent DDs.

[Barb]

Stuart & V-class were old ships and after their service within Mediterrean they served mainly on convoy escort duty within Australian waters.
RAN N and Q classes served with the British Eastern Fleet (and later BPF) as fleet destroyers.
RAN Tribal-class Arunta, Warramunga and Bataan were built in Australian shipyard - Cockatoo Island Dockyards, Sydney (and should arrive there, not in Cape Town). They served within Allied 7th Fleet (that is under Adm.Kinkaid under MacArthur) along the New Guinea coast as fleet destroyers.

[JoV]

ORIGINAL: Lowpe

A trick to easily identify the class of British/Aussie destroyers:

Also recognisable from the cork hanging from the funnels and the BBQ on the bow and the hills hoist at the stern [:'(]

[Ian R]

The alphabet destroyers usually have names starting with their class designation -- all the Q class start with Q, N for N. I have only found one destroyer that violates this naming convention.

Tribal class destroyers don't follow this guideline.

The ones with the non letter names (E.G. Kempenfelt) were flotillasleaders - built slightly larger with accommodation and a bridge for for the flotilla captain and his staff.

Tribal class, were named for ... tribes ... in the RAN case, mobs.

If you are modding to add some of the cancelled RAN builds, go with Eora, Gadigal (sometimes rendered "Cadigal", which is wrong, we don't do "c" names), & Kurnai. Other possibilities are Pitjantjatjara (Pitjantjara mob is part of that) and Alawa.