[5] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 5,700 nautical miles (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

[6] The primary armament of the Tribal-class destroyers was eight quick-firing (QF) 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark XII guns in four superfiring twin-gun mounts, one pair each fore and aft of the superstructure, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear.

[11] To increase the firing arcs of the AA guns, the rear funnel was shortened and the mainmast was reduced to a short pole mast.

[14] The ship was ordered on 19 June 1936 from Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson and was laid down on 27 August at the company's Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, shipyard.

William Fraser, commander of 24th Guards Brigade, back to Harstad from a reconnaissance of Mo when she was bombed by German aircraft and forced to return to the United Kingdom for repairs, taking the Brigadier with her.

[17][18] On 23 October, Matabele, Punjabi and Somali shelled and sank WBS 5 Adolf Vinnen in the Norwegian Sea off Stadlandet, Norway.

On 13 August 1942, Somali rescued all 105 crew of the American cargo ship Almeria Lykes, which had been torpedoed by E boats while taking part in Operation Pedestal.

She was hit in her engine room, and although taken under tow by the destroyer Ashanti, she sank on 25 September, after heavy weather broke her back.