The destroyers being built for the Royal Navy were small, short ranged units that would be no good for the vast areas of the Pacific Ocean. The extra fifty feet went to two extra 4", extra coal, and a better layout than most. These ships would be the forerunners of a long line of slightly bigger but better destroyers than those being built in other navies. The class was completed as shown, but during the war 2x3" AA and 2x2pounder AA guns were added to the armament. These ships size made them ripe for conversion during the mid 1930's.
The coal fired boilers were converted to oil firing during the 1920's, The AA guns were strengthened during the 1930's with the addition of a quad 2 pounder mounting (replacing one of the 4"). The 3" were replaced with extra single 2 pounder guns, for a total of eight guns. 1936+ the low angle 4" guns were removed and replaced with dual purpose weapons. To get back to a five gun 4" armament, a twin 4" in a tub was placed forward. A full gun director for the 4" was placed at the rear of the bridge. Asdic and depth charges were fitted during these times as well. All these refits made them better and better as escorts for the fleet.
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The Orca class went through the 1930's, slowly dropping through the ranks from fleet escorts in the van of the fleet, to escorting the reserve fleet ships and as escorts to the newly formed Fleet Train with fast merchantmen and oilers. This would become a most essential service in the coming Pacific war. 1939 and the war begins. The Orca class, were seconded to Escort command for convoy duties from Panama to St Kitts, where the ships coming through the Panama Canal to the United Kingdom would wait to for a convoy which would then cross the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. That run was Panagaea's baby. They provided the escorts for that route. The only thing that was required was a couple of escort carriers to provide the air cover required. These convoys included the oilers going from Venezuela to the UK, very important. Already being long range ships, the Orca class did not need to go through the conversions that the Royal Navy did to its older destroyers to get them into that category (VW and A-I classes). Convoy escort duty suited the Orca class as cruising along at 12-15 knots was not taxing on the ships, only the odd bursts of full speed put them to the test with their 25 year old machinery. Three of the class were lost to U-boats during the war. The class participated in the destruction of five and a half U-boats. The remaining five ships were removed from the Navy List in 1945 and scrapped soon thereafter.
