The Swan class would be the last of the WW1 4" destroyers. They would incorporate all of the new technology of the Tigris and Hayes classes. Of the 24 of the class under construction, only seven would be completed during 1918, another ten in 1919 and the final seven in 1920. There would then be a hiatus of building destroyers while all of the advances of WW1 were analysed and incorporated in the next destroyer classes.



Like a lot of countries, Antarctica started splitting its destroyer squadrons into smaller and smaller groups, as the firepower of the ships increased. The Swan class were broken into groups of four with a leader to make a five ship squadron. Which worked well when there was 24 Swan class and 6 Hayes class. The mid 1930's saw the Swan class drop down through the ranks as more modern destroyers replaced them in the Fleet screening units. This was also the time when the class began to be upgraded with modern dual purpose weaponry for use against aircraft as well as surface targets. The upgrades were simple, replace the centre 4" with a quad 2 pounder mounting, replace the other four 4" with dual purpose mountings, and finally remove the older single 2 pounder and replace them with modern 20mm cannons. The later 1930's and early 1940's saw the increase of radar being fitted to the ships. All common events for destroyers of this age.



The class remained in this state through the rest of the war as they would be on convoy duties where anti-aircraft weaponry was not as important as anti-submarine equipment. Though they kept their full complement of torpedoes and were lucky to do so when three destroyers put a couple of torpedoes into a German cruiser (subsequently sunk by gunfire from the cruiser cover force). The remaining class members from 1941 onwards lost 'A' 4" gun for a Hedgehog mounting. Fighting the convoys through was a risky business. Six of the class were lost on the convoys. Four more were lost in guarding the Fleet Train vessels. Lastly another three were lost in the Mediterannean as escorts along the North African coast, helping to deliver supplies and cover the monitors closing the coast road to the enemy land units. For those losses the class participated in sinking five and a half U-boats, torpedoed the German cruiser, and participated in destroying many tanks and trucks along the North African coast road. The last eleven vessels were discarded shortly after the end of the war. They had performed better than their builders could ever have imagined.

 

Displacement	1,450 tons standard, 1,675 tons full load
Length	336 ft
Breadth	35 ft
Draught	12 ft
Machinery	2 shaft, steam turbines, 38,000shp
Speed	35 knots
Range	6,000 miles at 10 knots
Armament	As completed 5 x 4" (5x1) 4 x 2pd (4x1)	Refits to 1941 3 x 4" DP (3x1) 4 x 2pd AA (1x4) 4 x 20mm (4x1) 1 x Hedgehog
Torpedoes	6 x 21" (2x3)	6 x 21" (2x3)
Complement	120	130
Notes	Swan Rhea Ostrich Cassowary Emu Penguin Pelican Condor Albatross Stork Turkey Eagle Vulture Thunderbird Moa Teratorn Waterfowl Bustard Goshawk Harrier Kite Goose Nightjar Seagull

Loading the forward firing Hedgehog ASW weapon.
During World War II out of 5,174 British depth charge attacks there were 85.5 kills, a ratio of 60.5 to 1. In comparison, the Hedgehog made 268 attacks for 47 kills, a ratio of 5.7 to 1