The Tribal-class destroyers were to be powered by steam turbines and use oil-fuel rather than coal, and be capable of , but detailed design was left to the builders, which meant that individual ships of the class differed greatly.
The Tribal-class destroyers were intended to be driven by steam turbines and use oil as fuel rather than coal, and they ought to have had capabilities such as , yet the specific design details were left to the shipbuilders. Consequently, the individual vessels within the class varied significantly.