HMS Havant (H32)

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Havant
HMS Havant (H32) .jpg
Ship data
flag BrazilBrazil Brazil United Kingdom
United KingdomUnited Kingdom (Naval War Flag) 
other ship names

Javary

Ship type destroyer
class H class, Javary type
Shipyard J. Samuel White , Cowes
Order December 8, 1937
Keel laying March 30, 1938
Launch July 17, 1939 as Javary
Commissioning December 19, 1939
Whereabouts Sunk on June 1, 1940
Ship dimensions and crew
length
98.5 m ( Lüa )
95.1 m ( Lpp )
width 10.1 m
Draft Max. 3.89 m
displacement Standard : 1,400 ts
maximum: 1,930 ts
 
crew 145 men
Machine system
machine 3 Admirality 3-drum steam boiler
2 Parsons turbines with single gear
Machine
performance 		34,000
Top
speed 		36 kn (67 km / h)
propeller 2
Armament
Sensors

Type 128 sonar

HMS Havant (H32) was an H-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy during World War II . The ship under construction for the Brazilian Navy was purchased by Great Britain immediately after the start of the war, along with its five sister ships. The Havant was the type ship of the Brazilian export variant of the H-Class. She went on June 1, 1940, the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk lost and sank after three bomb hits at 51 ° 8 '  N , 2 ° 16'  O coordinates: 51 ° 8 '0 "  N , 2 ° 16' 0"  O .

History of the ship

The ship was launched on July 17, 1939 at J. Samuel White in Cowes , Isle of Wight , as part of a class of six destroyers for the Brazilian Navy under the name Javary . On September 4, 1939, immediately after the start of the war, Great Britain acquired the destroyer, which was immediately renamed HMS Havant and was put into service by the Royal Navy on December 19, 1939 .

The five sister ships were also acquired by Great Britain at the start of the war and put into service by the Royal Navy:

The newbuildings for Brazil differed from the sister ships built for the Royal Navy by the wedge-shaped, sloping deckhouse that Hereward and Hero received first and then installed in all newbuildings from the I-class. In addition, the destroyers planned for the Brazilian Navy had more spacious living spaces than the buildings planned for the Royal Navy.

Otherwise the Havant and her five sister ships largely corresponded to the standard destroyers of the H-class. They displaced 1400 tl (max. 1930 tl), were 98.5 m long, 10.1 m wide and had a draft of 3.8 m. Three Admiralty boilers generated the steam for the Parsons geared turbines with an output of 34,000 hp, which enabled a speed of up to 35 knots . The fuel supply of 443 tl of fuel gave them a range of up to 5500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots. The crew of the destroyer at the time of commissioning consisted of 145 men.
The armament of the ships intended for Brazil only comprised three 4.7 inch (120 mm) L / 45 Mk.IX cannons when they were commissioned for the Royal Navy . Two quadruple 0.5-inch Vickers Mk.III machine guns were available to ward off air attacks . Like all standard-type destroyers, they were to receive two quadruple 21-inch torpedo tube sets. For use in the Brazilian Navy, the ships were to receive a combined fire control and distance measuring device that had not been tested and was not available during the accelerated completion in the first months of the war. The first finished boats therefore only had range finders for the main artillery. The Royal Navy therefore dispensed with the rear gun upon completion and reduced the main artillery to three guns. The stern area was used for increased armament to defend against submarines and the destroyers were equipped with two drop rails and four depth charges. There were also 110 depth charges on board.

Calls

The Havant was together with her former Brazilian sister ships of the 9th destroyer flotilla assigned, the first submarine backup service should provide in the south-western access routes to the British Isles. Havant was operational on January 31, 1940 as the first ship of the new flotilla in Plymouth . The arrival of further ships took place in the next few months, so that the first ships with other units were used. On February 4, the destroyer went on her first search for German submarines with the Ardent and the Whitshed , which had been involved in the sinking of U 55 on January 30 .
At the beginning of April the destroyer was relocated to the Home Fleet and ran to Tórshavn on the 12th to investigate the situation in the Faroe Islands after the German occupation of Denmark. On the 13th he accompanied the heavy cruiser Suffolk , the Royal Marines for the occupation of the islands. From April 14, the Havant was used to secure Allied transports to Norway. Withdrawed from the Norwegian operations on May 7, the destroyer secured the transfer of British troops on the Franconia and Lancastria to Iceland , which were supposed to relieve the advance command of the Royal Marines there (Operation Alabaster).
Returning from Iceland on the 25th, the destroyer was then assigned to the evacuation forces of the British Expeditionary Force in France ( Operation Dynamo ).

The end of the Havant

From May 29, 1940, the Havant was used together with many other ships in the evacuation of the Allied troops encircled around Dunkirk . In the first three days she was able to evacuate around 2,300 soldiers.

Saltash the minesweeper

On June 1, 1940, the ship had just left Dunkirk, fully laden with Allied troops, when it was attacked by German Stukas . The ship received three direct bomb hits. Due to the damage in the engine rooms, Havant was no longer maneuverable. The mine sweeper Saltash took over the crew and the soldiers on board and tried to tow the wreck. If the air raids continued, the Saltash had to abandon its efforts and sank the Havant . Eight men of the crew died and 26 were injured, some seriously. How many of the soldiers transported on board died could not be determined.

literature

  • MJ Whitley: Destroyers of World War Two. Arms and Armor Press, London 1988, ISBN 0-85368-910-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Service History HMS Havant
  2. ^ Rohwer: Sea War. 1.6.1940 Canal operation »Dynamo« (5th day)