The Pearl Class was supposed to be a small Destroyer that could be speedily produced in time of war. However, the need for the specialised turbine machinery that was used in Naval vessels, to be fitted to these ships meant tat they were not always the highest priority for these units. Making them no faster to produce than the bigger Fleet Destroyers.
Twelve of these handy ships were ordered in 1938. A further six were ordered in the First War Production Requirements Bill (1940), to replace early losses (four had been lost in 1940-41). Then a further six in the Third War Production Requirements Bill (1942). No further units were ordered after 1942, as looking at post war usage, these ships would be too small to be effective. Their was nothing special about these ships, the main armament of three single 5" in turrets was not exceptional, the pair of 40mm Bofors mounted behind the funnel was not excessive, and the four 20mm were just enough to round out a useful armament. A triple mounting of 21" torpedoes gave the ships a set of teeth to be used on bigger ships as shown by the convoys destroyers making a torpedo attack on the Battlecruiser in the Battle for VTC-11.
The first to units were completed and on their first war cruises escorting convoys from Utica to Maracaibo, Venezuela. The Tanker run. These ships took part in the Battle for VTC-11 fighting off a Wolf Pack and then a Battlecruiser one after the other. One ship received damage but was back on convoy duty in short order, the other ship was torpedoed and sunk by one of the Wolf Pack submarines after receiving two 12" hits from the Battlecruiser which slowed the ship so that it was forced to leave the convoy and make port on its own, no other ship could be spared to escort it.
