The 24 class was a class of minesweeping sloops. Derived from the preceding , but designed to appear double-ended. Twenty-four ships to this design (hence the class name) were ordered between December 1916 and April 1917 under the Emergency War Programme for the Royal Navy in World War I, although two of them were cancelled before launch. All were named after famous racehorses (winners of the Epsom Derby), but they were not named Racehorse class as the Admiralty realised that this could easily be confused in communications with the of paddle minesweepers, and they officially became the 24 class.