Hello,
While trying to research my dads ww2 record in the British Navy, I found that there were ship pennant numbers leading up to L79 & from L81 on, but no record of a L80. Can anyone tell me why this may have been. I have a pencil drawing of a Destroyer with two funnels with this number on it. Thanks.

In WW2 'L' series pennant numbers were used by escorts (sloops, long range escorts, destroyer escorts) from L.01 (Valorous)to L.128 Wilton.

The pennant L.80 was allocated to the HINDUSTAN, a single funnelled sloop.

Hello PhiloNauticus,
Sorry for the delay in replying, and thanks for your answer. I had come across a HINDUSTAN but it was with the Indian Navy. Is it possible that my dad could have served as a gunlayer on this ship if it was still with the I.N., and would this be why there was no L80 in the British Navy?  If that was possible, do you know where I could find out about where the HINDUSTAN went during the war?  I've been told that ships didn't always carry pennant numbers because of identification by the enemy, is this true and also did missing a number out in sequence happen very often.Many thanks.

Remember India was part of the Empire at the time; Pennant Numbers for the navies of the Dominions and Colonies fitted in with the Royal Navy, that is why Hindustan was allocated L.80.

Although some RN ratings did serve with colonial navies , I would doubt that he would be serving as a gunlayer in the Indian Navy.   Also, if the picture you have is a two funnelled ship, it cannot be the Hindustan, which was a single funelled vessel. As far as I am aware, she served exclusively in local waters (i.e. the Indian Ocean).

Larger ships (cruisers,  carriers etc.) rarely carried pennant numbers in WW2, but the smaller vessels, destroyers and below, had them painted up all the time.

Missing numbers? yes, most pennant number sequences did have gaps.

Thanks Philonauticus, I'll have to keep digging!!