The Emerald class were a large step forward in the direction of the modern destroyer. The Greenlandian designers were shown the latest Royal Navy designs, The 'R-S' class and the Parker class leaders. One was too big, one was too small, what Greenland wanted was the Goldilocks one in the middle. The designers took both designs, taking the best from each to produce the Emerald class. The biggest difference was aft where the 4"/50cal guns were mounted superimposed as well as the forward guns. This fore and aft layout would be copied by all future Greenlandian Navy destroyer classes.
The Emerald class, of thirty-six units, were fully engaged at the end of World War One. Two were lost, one to a U-boat in the Mediterranean and one to mines in the North Sea, operating off the Dutch coast. The classes finest hour in World War One was the night action of four of the class with the cruiser Quadeshtu, which came upon two merchantmen and their escorts, and in a brisk action sunk all five ships. It was during this action that the Beryl was mined when it went off station between known minefields.
The class provided the three squadron destroyer screen through the 1920's and into the early 30's when new destroyer construction replaced them in this premier role. There was no doubt that these ships would make it through to World War Two, but they had an unforeseen problem. The new 4"/50cal dual purpose guns and shields were taller than the low angle weapons currently mounted on the ships. No problem with 'B' and 'X' mountings but 'A' and 'Y' mountings would catch the overhead 'blast screen' above. The old blast screens had to be removed and replaced with new ones. Adding more work and cost to the budget for these ships conversions.
The thirty-four surviving units all made it to World War Two. During the war there were all sorts of refits given to the ships to improve them for their intended future service. Those earmarked for convoy duty had two of the 4" removed, these guns being replaced with a Hedgehog ahead throwing ASW mortar, forward, and further depth charge throwers, aft. The aft set of torpedo tubes was removed and replaced with more depth charge throwers which increased the number and variety of patterns the depth charges could be discharged at a time. The lower drawing was the extreme refit for ASW convoy work. Other units never had the Hedgehog fitted retaining the 4" in both A and B positions. Some were used around the coasts of Britain and had things like twin 6 pounder weapons mounted in B position. These had their own radar predictors and were very good for shredding E-boats. Others had the 20mm removed and extra 40mm fitted. Most had the aft set of torpedo tubes removed to save weight to allow the fitting of more and more electronics.
Fighting in all theatres from the Russian convoys, to the Japanese in the Pacific, and all places in between. Ten were lost during the war. Five were sunk by aircraft, three by bombs, one by air launched torpedo and the last by a Fritz-X guided bomb off Salerno. Two were torpedoed by U-boats on convoy duty, one was the first loss to the new German acoustic torpedo that blew off the stern of the ship. One was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine while escorting shipping from Singapore to Australia. And the last two were lost to mines. One off the coast of Dunkirk in 1940 and the other when operating from Malta in late 1941. All of the surviving ships had been discarded and scrapped by 1950.
