 The naturalist Peter Scott, among the ship's crew in 1940, conducted experiments in ship camouflage, having the two sides of "Broke" painted in different patterns.The Thornycroft type or "Shakespeare"-class leaders, were like the similar and contemporary Admiralty type (also known as the "Scott"-class) were designed to meet a requirement from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, for a large, fast and heavily armed flotilla leader to match and outclass rumoured large German destroyers.The ships had a length of overall, at the waterline and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of .