The Sirius class benefited from 'production line' building. The parts would be built at factories and building yards not normally associated with warships, freighted to an assembly yard where they would be pieced together to form the ship. This worked well as long as there were no glitches in the production lines, as occurred in 1942 when a lack of steel production slowed down production. The ships were built with 'Escort' being very much at the forefront of their duties. Giving them a set of torpedoes raised the ships to Escort destroyers rather than Frigates.



The design of the class had been first made in 1935 with updates until the ships were put into production in 1940, the first ships appearing in 1941 through to 1944 when production finished. The use of diesel engines made them very popular post war, with any of the class being offered for sale being snapped up by the minor navies. Their slower speed counted against them in post war conditions as the German Type XXI technology filtered through the Major powers and the speeds of submarines and their ability to stay submerged increased substantially. The Sirius class would not be able to catch these modern subs. A dozen of the ships were kept in service as Coast guard vessels which the diesels were considered excellent for.

 

Displacement	1,800 tons standard, 2,250 tons full load
Length	318 ft
Breadth	35 ft
Draught	13 ft
Machinery	2 shaft, diesel engines, 20,000 bhp
Speed	26 knots
Range	8,000 miles at 15 knots
Armament	As completed 4 x 4" (2x2) 8 x 40mm (1x4, 2x2) 1 x Hedgehog
Torpedoes	3 x 21" (1x3)
Complement	160
Notes	Sirius Lynx Eridanus Casiopaiea Scorpius Crux Cancer Leo Canis Andromeda Taurus Sagittarius Carina Lyra Serpens Aquarius Cygnus Corvus Ursa Cerpheus Grus Draco Delphinus Capricorn Pegasus Perseus Gemini Bootes Crater Auriga Orion Hydra Corona Borealis Pisces Aquilla

Diesel Engines were known for their frugalness on fuel consumption. A great benefit for escorts.