News from merry old England. John Snyder is pleased to announce the upcoming release of White Ensign Models 1/700 E & F Class Destroyer Photo Etch for Tamiya’s E class destroyer kit. Once again, Peter Hall has done a magnificent job in bringing us another nice photo etch set. Estimated release date for this set is early September.

Chocked full of details, the WEM 1/700 E & F Class Destroyer Photo Etch fret has enough brass to equip one ship.
Included on the set:

• Rails
  
• Stairs and ladders
  
• Anchor chain
  
• Anchors
  
• Whale boat details
  
• Funnel caps
  
• HF/DF radar array
  
• And much more…
  

So, surf on over to WEM’s online store and pick one up for the mere price of $8.36.


E & F Class Destroyer History
In order to protect the vital shipping routes that spanned their vast empire, the British Navy built a large number of destroyers in the years leading up to WWII. The nine ships of the E Class, Exmouth, Echo, Eclipse, Electra, Encounter, Escapade, Escort, Esk, and Express were completed in 1934 and took part in many important naval battles throughout the war such as the hunt for the Bismark and the Battle of Java Sea.
The F class was a continuation of the E class with the HMS Exmouth not strictly being an E-Class but an Exmouth-Class vessel. These were closely modelled on the E-Class but were larger, faster and had alternative armaments. However these differences were slight at best and Exmouth is often classed as a member of the E-Class.

Ship Specs

• Standard Displacement: 1,350 tons
  
• Length: 100.28m
  
• Greatest Width: 10.13m
  
• Speed: 36 knots
  
• Power: 36,000hp
  
• Armament: four 12cm guns, two quad-12.7mm machine gun mounts
  
• two quad-53.3cm torpedo tubes