Admiralty type flotilla leader

Class overview
Operators
Preceded byThornycroft type leader
Succeeded byA- and B class leaders
Planned10
Completed8
Cancelled2
Lost1
General characteristics
TypeFlotilla leader
Displacement
  • 1,580 tons standard
  • 2,053 tons full load
Length322 ft 6 in (98.30 m) o/a
Beam31 ft 9 in (9.68 m)
Draught12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Propulsion4 Yarrow-type boilers, Parsons single reduction turbines, 2 shafts, 40,000 shp (30,000 kW)
Speed36.5 knots (67.6 km/h)
Range5,000 nmi (9,260 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement164
Armament

The Admiralty type leader, sometimes known as the Scott class, were a class of eight destroyer leaders designed and built for the Royal Navy towards the end of World War I. They were named after Scottish historical leaders[citation needed]. The function of a leader was to carry the flag staff of a destroyer flotilla, therefore they were enlarged to carry additional crew, offices and signalling equipment, allowing a fifth gun to be carried. These ships were contemporary with the Thornycroft type leader, distinguishable by their two narrow funnels of equal height, the Thornycroft designs latter having characteristic broad, slab-sided funnels.

All except Mackay and Malcolm were completed in time for wartime service, Scott being a war loss. The two final orders – Barrington and Hughes – were cancelled with the end of the War; these two had originally been ordered to the Thornycroft leader design. Stuart was transferred to Australia in 1933. All the remaining ships except Bruce (expended as a target ship in 1939) survived service in World War II, being converted to escort ships. Montrose and Stuart had Brown-Curtis steam turbines, giving 43,000 shp (32,000 kW) for an extra ½ knot.