Editing L and M-class destroyer (section)

{{Short description|Class of destroyers for Britain}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=March 2010}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Legion.jpg
|Ship caption=HMS ''Legion'' with her [[Type 285 radar]] aerials visible on her HA DCT
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Builders=
|Operators=*{{navy|United Kingdom}}
* {{navy|Poland}}
* {{navy|Turkey}}
|Class before={{sclass2|J, K and N|destroyer|4}}
|Class after={{sclass2|O and P|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses=L, M
|Built range=1938–42
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=16
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=9
|Total ships scrapped=7
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=as completed
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1920|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (standard)
* {{convert|2660|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (deep)
|Ship length={{convert|362|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam={{convert|37|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|10|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power={{convert|48000|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 × shafts
* 2 × [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s
* 2 × Admiralty 3-drum [[boiler]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|5500|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=190
|Ship sensors=*[[ASDIC]]
* [[Type 285 radar|Type 285]] [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) [[radar]]
* [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 286|Type 286M]] air warning radar
|Ship armament=*3 × 2 - [[QF 4.7 inch Mark XI gun|QF 4.7-inch Mk XI]] [[dual purpose gun]]s  '''Or'''
* 4 × 2 - [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|QF 4-inch Mk XVI dual purpose guns]]
* 1 × 1 - [[QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun|QF 4-inch Mk V anti-aircraft gun]]
* 1 × 4 - [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder Mk VIII anti-aircraft guns]]
* 2 × 4 - [[Vickers .50 machine gun|QF .5-inch Vickers Mk III anti-aircraft machine guns]]
* 2 × 4 - [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|inch|mm|adj=on|0}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s
* 42 × [[Depth charge]]s, 2 rails and 2 throwers
}}
|}

The '''L and M class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of sixteen [[destroyer]]s which served in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Royal Navy]] during [[World War II]]. The ships of the class were launched between 1939 and 1942.

The L class (also known as the ''Laforeys'') were approved under the 1937 Naval Estimates. Four of these ships (''Lance'', ''Lively'', ''Legion'' and ''Larne'') were built with {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} armament instead of 4.7 inch. Six of the eight were war losses, with the surviving pair being broken up in 1948.

The M Class were built under the 1939 Naval Estimates.  They served in the Home Fleet until 1944 and then went to the Mediterranean. Three were wartime losses; of the five survivors, the ''Musketeer'' was broken up in 1955 and the other four sold to Turkey in 1958.