In comparison with her predecessors, the L-class ships turned out to be almost 200 tons heavier. To compensate for the weight of the new 120 mm guns with a 50-degree laying angle, quadruple torpedo tubes had to be installed. Throughout World War II, the destroyer had served in units with warships like Ark Royal, Valiant, and Warspite. Lightning sank on March 12, 1943, after taking two torpedo hits from German motor torpedo boats (Schnellboot) during an operation to intercept a German convoy.