As was previous Royal Navy practice, the first 20 ships were originally allocated names with no particular systematic theme, although the majority were given names taken from Shakespearean or (Sir Walter) Scott characters. However, whilst still building in 1913 they were redesignated as the 'L' class and these original names were replaced on 30 September 1913 by new names beginning with the class letter 'L', the first ships to follow this new convention (see naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy). The last pair - Lochinvar and Lassoo - were renamed in February 1915.
Alexander Fullerton included a fictional Laforey class destroyer, called the Lanyard, in his book "The blooding of the Guns", set during the battle of Jutland.
The Laforeys were based on the modified that trialled a new hull form that was slightly longer and narrower than that of the Acastas and incorporated a clipper bow. Except for the ships built by J. Samuel White (Laurel and Liberty) and by Yarrow (Lark, Landrail, Laverock and Linnet), which had two funnels, all the other ships had three funnels of equal height, the middle being thicker than the fore and aft.
Armament was increased over the Acastas, with the number of torpedo tubes doubled to two pairs - abaft the funnels - with a small searchlight platform in between. The gun armament remained as three QF 4-inch, but was more usefully distributed; with one gun each on the forecastle, between the funnels (the after pair in ships with three) and on the quarterdeck.
Laforey and Leonidas were fitted with geared (as opposed to direct drive) steam turbines for increased efficiency. Llewellyn, Lennox, Lochinvar and Lassoo were the first destroyers built for the Royal Navy at William Beardmore's new naval construction yard at Dalmuir.
Legion was later fitted for minelaying, for which purposes her quarterdeck gun and torpedo tubes were removed and screens were erected aft of the after funnel to provide protection for mines. The screens were painted with dummy torpedo tubes and a gun so as not to identify her as a minelayer.
At the outbreak of World War I the Laforeys formed the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla. Lance is credited as having fired the first shot of the naval war when, in company with the flotilla leader, she sank the German auxiliary minelayer the day after war was declared, on 5 August 1914 in the North Sea. The particular gun concerned is preserved at the Imperial War Museum in London.
Two months later on 17 October 1914, off the Dutch island of Texel, Lance, Legion, Lennox and Loyal engaged German torpedo boats and sank, S117, S118 and during the Battle off Texel. Lydiard (acting as flotilla leader), with Landrail, Laurel and Liberty were present at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May / 1 June 1916 as part of the 9th and 10th Destroyer Flotillas.
| Name | Ship Builder | Laid down[1] | Launched | Completed | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (ex-Picton) | William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir | 14 November 1912 | 30 October 1913 | March 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 10 March 1922 | |
| (ex-Portia) | Beardmore | 14 October 1912 | 17 March 1914 | July 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 26 October 1921 | |
| (ex-Orlando) | William Denny & Brothers Limited, Dumbarton | 16 September 1912 | 11 November 1913 | May 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 24 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Viola) | Denny | 19 September 1912 | 3 February 1914 | July 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921 | |
| (ex-Florizel) | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan | 9 September 1912 | 22 August 1913 | February 1914 | Mined and sunk in English Channel off Shoreham-by-Sea 23 March 1917 | |
| (ex-Ivanhoe) | Fairfield | 28 September 1912 | 30 October 1913 | March 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 24 August 1922 | |
| (ex-Talisman) | Fairfield | 5 December 1912 | 30 December 1913 | March 1914 | Wrecked in Suvla Bay (Dardanelles) on 31 October 1915 and destroyed by Turkish coastal artillery | |
| (ex-Waverley) | Fairfield | 14 December 1912 | 26 February 1914 | June 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 5 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Rob Roy) | Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company, Wallsend, (hull sub-contracted to Hawthorn Leslie & Company, Hebburn) | 26 October 1912 | 30 October 1913 | August 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921 | |
| (ex-Rocket) | Parsons (hull sub-contracted to Hawthorn Leslie) | 26 October 1912 | 29 December 1913 | August 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 1 December 1921 | |
| (ex-Sarpedon) | Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend | 6 July 1912 | 6 June 1913 | October 1913 | Sold for scrapping on 1 December 1921 | |
| (ex-Ulysses) | Swan Hunter | 8 August 1912 | 18 August 1913 | December 1913 | Sold for scrapping on 9 June 1922 | |
| (ex-Daring) | John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, Woolston | 1 August 1912 | 25 February 1914 | August 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 5 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Dragon) | Thornycroft | 29 August 1912 | 27 April 1914 | August 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 24 August 1922 | |
| (ex-Redgauntlet) | J. Samuel White & Company, Cowes | 17 August 1912 | 6 May 1913 | March 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 1 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Rosalind) | White | 31 August 1912 | 15 September 1913 | March 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 5 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Haughty) | Yarrow & Company, Scotstoun | 28 June 1912 | 26 May 1913 | October 1913 | Sold for scrapping on 20 January 1923 | |
| (ex-Havock) | Yarrow | 28 June 1912 | 16 August 1913 | December 1913 | Sold for scrapping on 4 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Hereward) | Yarrow | 24 July 1912 | 19 November 1913 | October 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921 | |
| (ex-Hotspur) | Yarrow | 24 July 1912 | 7 February 1914 | June 1914 | Sold for scrapping on 1 December 1921 | |
| (ex-Malice) | William Beardmore & Company, Dalmuir | 9 January 1915 | 9 October 1915 | December 1915 | Sold for scrapping on 25 November 1921 | |
| (ex-Magic) | Beardmore | 24 January 1915 | 24 August 1915 | 11 October 1915 | Torpedoed or mined and sunk off Maas (French: [[Meuse]]) light ship by German U-boat 13 August 1916 |