S to W class
 The "Leader" Hardy , on January 30, 1944, the class first lost in the war
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The 40 destroyers in the S, T, U, V and W classes were built as 5th to 9th Emergency Flotillas of the British Royal Navy's war building program . The destroyers were ordered from ten British shipyards between January 9 and December 3, 1941. They deviated from the first orders of the war building program ( O- and P-class as well as Q- and R-class ) with a new shape of the foredeck , as they have the bow shape of the tribal class with the hull of the J -, K- and N-Class combined. With this hull shape, another 40 destroyers of the Z-, Ca-, Ch-, Co- and Cr-class were built with a different main armament.
The Troubridge was the first ship to enter service with the Royal Navy on March 8, 1943. The other destroyers followed until July 20, 1944, with two each from the Norwegian Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy being put into service. Three destroyers ( Svenner , Swift and Hardy ) were lost in World War II . The destroyers were used in all areas of operation of the Royal Navy.
Shortly after the war, three S-group destroyers were sold to the Dutch Navy in 1945 . In the 1950s, three of the W group were sold to South Africa and finally two more were sold to Yugoslavia in October 1956 .
From 1951 onwards, nineteen destroyers, including a Canadian one, were converted into anti-submarine frigates of type 15 , one of which was later sold to South Africa as the third ship.
Seven ships of the T-Gruppe were converted less extensively and designated as anti-submarine frigates of the type 16 (limited conversion). Between 1965 and 1983, the ships remaining in the Royal Navy were scrapped.
Building history
When the fifth order for eight more destroyers as part of the war building program was placed in early 1941, there was only experience with the destroyer types ordered before the war. The J-Class produced a relatively large amount of spray water, while the Tribal-Class had a much drier forecastle when in use and in difficult weather conditions. It was therefore decided to combine the bow shape of this class with the hull construction of the J class. This led to a slight lengthening of the ships with 110.6 m over everything. Otherwise, the hull dimensions remained the same with a width of up to 10.9 m and a maximum draft of 4.37 m. The drive system also consisted of two sets of Parsons geared turbines with steam generation by two Admiralty boilers, which produced 40,000 hp on two shafts and should enable a top speed of 36.75 kn. The destroyer's oil supply was 588 t and enabled a range of 4575 nm at a speed of 20 kn. This largely corresponded to the values of the previous Q and R class.
The construction contracts for the 5th Emergency Flotilla and the following flotillas were issued in pairs to four shipyards (see info box). The construction times of the five orders placed in 1941 overlapped considerably, however, as the capacity utilization and production possibilities of the commissioned shipyards differed considerably.
The S-Group , 5th EF , was ordered on January 9, 1941 and the keel laying of the newbuildings took place between June 1941 and June 1942. On August 26, 1942, the Scorpion was launched as the first destroyer of the S-Group at Cammel Laird , the then also came into service on May 11, 1943 as the first. On June 15, 1943, the Swift was launched at White as the last ship in the group. The ships of this group, sometimes referred to as the Savage class, formed the 23rd Destroyer Flotilla from the end of 1943 . The last commissioning concerned the Svenner on March 11, 1944 for the Norwegian Navy, which had previously taken the Stord into service on September 6, 1943 , but left the ships under the British flotilla command. The ordered by the Royal Navy destroyers were taken from an allied navy in service, was already performed in all destroyers of the N class for Poland, Australia and the Netherlands as well as in a ship of the M-Class for Poland from November 1940 worden.w
The T-Gruppe , 6th EF , was ordered on March 14th and the keel laying of the newbuildings took place between September and December 1941. On May 28th, 1942, the Tuscan was launched as the first destroyer of the group at Swan Hunter , which also included the first newbuilding the improved bow shape was. Three days before her came on March 8, 1943 with the Troubridge built by John Brown, the "leader" of the T-Group as the first ship of the new design in the service of the Navy. On June 17, 1943, the Terpsichore was launched at Denny as the last ship of the group only two days after the last of the S-group , which was then also put into service on January 20, 1944 as the last ship of the T-group . The group, sometimes referred to as the Tumult class, formed the 24th Destroyer Flotilla from late 1943 onwards .
The U-Group , 7th EF , was ordered on June 12, 1941 and the keel-laying of the newbuildings took place between November 1941 and September 1942. On October 12, 1942, the "leader" Grenville was the first U-Group ship to sail from Swan Hunter Stapel, which came into service on May 27, 1943 after four newbuildings of the T and one of the S groups as the first ship of the U group . As the last ship of this group, the Ursa was launched on July 22, 1943 at Thornycroft . In March 1944, Ursa and Undauted were the last ships in the U group to enter service a few days before the Svenner . The group formed the 25th Destroyer Flotilla in 1944 .
The V-Group , 8th EF , was ordered on September 1, 1941 and the keel-laying of the newbuildings took place between January and December 1942. On December 22, 1942, the Vigilant was the first ship of the group to be launched at Swan Hunter. The first ships of this group came into service in August 1943, the "leader" Hardy and the Venus . The Volage was the last ship of this group to be launched on December 15, 1943 and entered service on May 16, 1944. Two destroyers of this group entered service as Algonquin and Sioux by the Royal Canadian Navy in the spring of 1944 . The group, sometimes referred to as the Valentine class, formed the 26th Destroyer Flotilla in 1945 with Saumarez as the flotilla leader.
The W-Group , 9th EF , was ordered on December 3, 1941 and the keel-laying of the newbuildings took place between May and October 1942. On May 8, 1943, the “leader” of the W-Group , the Kempenfelt , was the first ship to sail with John Brown & Co launched in Clydebank , which also came into service on October 26, 1943 as the first ship of this group. Of this group, the Wrangler was the last ship launched on December 30, 1943 at Vickers Armstrong in Barrow and came into service with the Whirlwind in July 1944. The group's destroyers were sometimes referred to as the Wager- class and formed the 27th Destroyer Flotilla .
At the time of the commissioning of the Troubridge , which came into service in front of the ships of the S group, three pre-war orders from the Royal Navy were still not ready.
Due to the air force attacks on Greenock , the Mahratta of the L- and M-class and Rocket and Roebuck of the Q- and R-class ordered from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company there had not yet been delivered.
In July 1944, when the last destroyers of the "S to W-Class" ordered in 1941 came into service, not only were other destroyers of newer classes under construction, but two destroyers of the Z and three of the Ca class were already in service been.
- see Myngs , who was flotilla commander of the 27th Destroyer Flotilla from 1945 .
Armament
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Of the 40 S- to W-class destroyers ordered, 39 again had the traditional British destroyer armament of four 120 mm Mk.IX cannons . Only the Savage , completed in June 1943 by Hawthorn Leslie , received more modern 114 mm cannons from a pre-series for testing , which then became the new standard armament of British destroyers from the Z group onwards.
However, the destroyers of the S to W class received the previous standard weapon in a new single mount of the type CP.XXII, which enabled an elevation range of -10 ° to + 55 °. Admittedly, this change was felt by many to be insufficient for effective air defense. However, with the improvements to the loading mechanism, the spring-assisted loading ram and a shortened return path of the gun, as well as improved ammunition feed, the possible rate of fire could be achieved by the operator and maintained for a longer period of time and, in cooperation with the sensors, achieved success against aircraft as well. In addition, the new protective shields with their characteristic sloping fronts gave the operator and the gun significantly improved weather protection.
A 40-mm-Hazemeyer-Bofors-Mk.IV twin gun to replace the old 2-pounder "pom-pom" quadruplet was supposed to strengthen the air defense . These guns were mounted on the so-called Hazemeyer mount developed in the Netherlands. It was an assembly stabilized in three axes, which - at least in theory - could completely decouple the weapon from the ship's movements and had its own drive and fire control radar. In order to give the weapon the largest possible fire area, it was mounted at the position of the previous headlight platform. Unfortunately, the newly developed, not always perfect weapon system was not always available in sufficient numbers, so that only 28 of the 40 destroyers were delivered with this anti-aircraft gun, the best at the time. Most of the ships were retrofitted later.
The destroyers had four 20 mm Oerlikon twin guns . If the destroyers were without Hazemeyer-Bofors on delivery, at least additional Oerlikons were set up. Four destroyers ( Ulysses , Volage , Whelp , Wessex ) were delivered with the old pom-pom quadruplet. The basic armament of the destroyer was completed by two quadruple 533 mm torpedo tube sets and 70 to 130 depth charges .
At the end of the war, due to the Japanese kamikazes, the penetration power of the defense armament was increased by installing individual 40 mm guns in addition to or as a replacement for lighter weapons.
In order to test the newer 4.5-inch guns on a destroyer in June 1943 served Hawthorn Leslie finished Savage . On the forecastle, this destroyer was fitted with a twin gun in a BD Mk.II carriage , as it had already been installed on modernized battleships and the Illustrious- class carriers . In addition, the Savage received two single guns of the new weapon in single mounts in the aft positions, which were largely similar to the mounts of the CP.XXII type of the 120 mm guns of the other destroyers of the class. These 114 mm single guns became the new standard armament of British destroyers from the Z group. The twin guns were introduced in a new mount in 1945 with the battle class .
Conversion to fast anti-submarine frigates
The development of the most modern submarines had already shown at the end of the war that the majority of the escort vehicles of the war were not able to cope with the speed achieved under water. To this end, considerably more sensors should be installed on the new ships and more space should be given to the crews and the operators of the devices. They should also hardly be exposed to the weather on board when operating their ship and its weapons. The new limbo launchers should be installed as the main weapon against submarines . During the conversion, all superstructures and masts were removed and replaced with new aluminum superstructures. In 1949, the conversion of the Relentless and Rocket into anti-submarine frigates began at the naval shipyards in Portsmouth and Devonport , which was completed in 1951. These first model conversions were followed by 21 further conversions of destroyers of the war building program of classes R, T (1), U (8) and V (5), W (4) and Z, which were designated as type 15 frigates , by 1957 . In some cases, there were considerable differences between the renovations and improvements were introduced again and again.
Three conversions similar to the Type 15 took place in Canada , four in Australia and later two not quite as extensive in South Africa .
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At times, 57 existing destroyers were supposed to be converted to Type 15 frigates, but the cost proved to be too high. In order to close the existing gap in the security of NATO units more quickly, a simpler and cheaper conversion than the Type 16 frigate was ordered. During this conversion, the previous armament was removed and replaced by a 4-inch twin gun on the forecastle and seven 40-mm Bofors cannons. These conversions had two Squid mortars for anti-submarine defense and also had a four-fold 533 mm torpedo tube set as a weapon against surface ships. Ten destroyers of the Royal Navy were converted according to this plan (seven ships of the T-group and three destroyers of the O- and P-class ), plus two other ships of the O-class of the Pakistani Navy , which temporarily returned to Great Britain for this conversion in 1957 .
Delivery to other navies
Already on completion, two destroyers were loaned to the Norwegian Navy in exile: in September 1943 the Success , which came into service as Stord and in March 1944 the Svenner , built as Shark , which was built on June 6, 1944 on the first day of the invasion in Normandy was lost. The Stord was bought by Norway in 1946 and scrapped in 1959 after being used as a cadet training ship for the Norwegian Naval War School.
In March 1944, the destroyers of the V Group, built as Valentine and Vixen, were put into service by the Royal Canadian Navy as Algonquin and Sioux, respectively. Sioux was used as a destroyer until 1965; Algonquin, like most British ships, was converted into an anti-submarine frigate and only scrapped in 1971.
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Shortly after the end of the war, Serapis , Scorpion and Scourge were sold to the Dutch Navy , which was in dire need of destroyers to regain their colonial territory, the Dutch East Indies . The destroyers came into service as Piet Hein , Kortenaer and Evertsen from October 1945. In 1958, the three destroyers were reclassified as frigates and were given a platform for the use of a helicopter. They were then segregated until 1962.
In 1950 the Wessex was transferred to the South African Navy , which it renamed Jan Van Riebeeck . She was followed in February 1952 by Whelp as Simon van der Stel . In addition to the two destroyers, South Africa later acquired the sister ship Wrangler , which had already been converted into an anti-submarine frigate and entered service on November 29, 1956 as the Vrystaat frigate . The planned purchase of two other destroyers that had already been converted into frigates (including Roebuck ) was abandoned in 1956. In the 1960s, the two destroyers taken over in 1950/52 were rebuilt in South Africa, although the superstructures were not changed as extensively as the British conversions. Both ships remained destroyers and could then use Westland Wasp anti -submarine helicopters . On April 14, 1976, the Vrystaat, last used as a target ship, sank . In the same year, Simon Van der Stel was separated and sold for demolition. In 1978 Jan van Riebeeck followed suit .
In October 1956, the destroyers Kempenfelt and Wager of the W group in the British reserve were towed to Yugoslavia. The destroyers were overhauled there and came into service with the Yugoslav Navy as Kotor (Котор) and Pula (Пула) in autumn 1959 . In 1971 the two destroyers were separated and scrapped.
The destroyers of the S to W class
| Surname | Shipyard | Keel laying | Launch | finished | modification | Final fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
T roubridge (L), R00 |
John Brown BNr. 591 |
11/10/1941 | 09/23/1942 | March 8, 1943 | 1955–57 F09, type 15 |
29 March 1969 out of service, May 1970 demolition |
|
Tuscan R56 |
Swan Hunter BNr. 1663 |
September 6, 1941 | 05/28/1942 | 03/11/1943 | 1952/53 F156, type 16 |
out of service since 1954, demolished in May 1966 |
|
Tumult R11 |
John Brown BNr. 592 |
11/16/1941 | 11/9/1942 | April 2, 1943 | 1953/54 F121, type 16 |
December 1957 out of service, October 1965 demolished |
|
Tyrian R67 |
Swan Hunter BNr. 1665 |
October 15, 1941 | 07/27/1942 | April 8, 1943 | 1951/52 F67, type 16 |
November 1956 out of service, March 1966 demolition |
|
S corpion G72 |
Cammell La. BNo. 1094 |
06/19/1941 | 08/26/1942 | 05/11/1943 | NL: D804, F804 | October 1, 1945 to the Netherlands: Kortenaer , reclassified in 1958, demolished in Belgium in 1963 |
|
Grenville (L U ) , R97 |
Swan Hunter BNr. 1669 |
11/1/1941 | October 12, 1942 | May 27, 1943 | 1953/54 F197, type 15 |
1957 tests with an on-board helicopter, 1967 test ship, 1974 out of service, February 1983 demolition |
|
Savage G20 |
Hawthorn L. B No. 651 |
08/22/1941 | 09/24/1942 | June 8, 1943 | === | April 1960 demolition |
|
Ulster R83 |
Swan Hunter BNr. 1671 |
11/12/1941 | 11/9/1942 | 30.064.1943 | 1953–56 F83, type 15 |
1967 training ship, 1977 out of service, 1981 demolition |
|
Saumarez (L) , G12 |
Hawthorn L. B No. 650 |
09/24/1941 | 11/20/1942 | 07/01/1943 | === | October 22, 1946 Mine hit in the Corfu Channel , not repaired, demolished in October 1950 |
|
Scourge G26 |
Cammell La. BNo. 1095 |
06/26/1941 | December 8, 1942 | 07/14/1943 | NL: D802, F803 | February 1, 1946 to the Netherlands: Evertsen , reclassified in 1958, demolished in July 1963 |
|
Hardy (L V ) , R08 |
John Brown BNr. 600 |
05/14/1942 | 03/18/1943 | 8.1943 | Loss of war | sunk in the North Sea on January 30, 1944 |
|
Venus R50 |
Fairfield BNr. 703 |
01/12/1942 | 02/23/1943 | 08/28/1943 | 1951/524 F50, type 15 |
1964 out of service, 1969 target ship, December 1972 demolition |
|
Stord G26 |
White | 02/25/1942 | as Success : 04/03/1943 |
for Norway: September 8, 1943 |
=== | 1946 Acquisition by Norway, most recently a cadet training ship, scrapped in Belgium in 1959 |
|
Vigilant R93 |
Swan Hunter BNr. 1679 |
January 31, 1942 | 12/22/1942 | 09/10/1943 | 1951/52 F93, type 15 |
Decommissioned in 1963, demolished in June 1965 |
|
Teazer R23 |
Cammell La. BNo. 1099 |
10/20/1941 | January 7, 1943 | 09/13/1943 | 1953/54 F23, type 16 |
September 1961 out of service, August 1965 demolished |
|
Urchin R99 |
Vickers BNo. 831 |
03/28/1942 | March 8, 1943 | 09/24/1943 | 1952–54 F196, type 15 |
1964 out of service, August 1967 demolished |
|
Kempenfelt (L W ) , R03 |
John Brown BNr. 601 |
06/24/1942 | May 8, 1943 | 10.1943 | === | 1956 sold to Yugoslavia: September 10, 1959 in service as a Kotor , demolished in 1972 |
|
Termagant R99 |
Denny BNr. 1365 |
October 18, 1941 | March 22, 1943 | October 18, 1943 | 1952/53 F189, type 16 |
Out of service in 1960, demolished in November 1965 |
|
Tenacious R45 |
Cammell La. BNo. 1100 |
December 3, 1942 | March 24, 1943 | 10/30/1943 | 1951/52 F44, type 16 |
Out of service in 1954, demolished in June 1965 |
|
Virago R75 |
Swan Hunter BNr. 1681 |
02/16/1942 | 4.02.1943 | November 5, 1943 | 1951–53 F76, type 15 |
1963 out of service, June 1972 demolition |
|
Swift R75 |
White | 06/12/1942 | June 15, 1943 | December 8, 1943 | Loss of war | sunk by a mine hit on June 24, 1944 |
|
Verulam R28 |
Fairfield BNr. 704 |
06/26/1942 | 04/22/1943 | December 10, 1943 | 1951/52 F29, type 15 |
Decommissioned December 21, 1970, demolished in October 1972 |
|
Serapis R75 |
Scott's BNr. 600 |
8.1941 | March 25, 1943 | December 23, 1943 | NL: D805, F804 | October 5, 1945 to the Netherlands: Piet Hein , reclassified in 1958, deleted on October 16, 1961, demolished in Belgium in May 1962 |
|
Ulysses R69 |
Cammell La. BNo. 1106 |
03/14/1942 | 04/22/1943 | December 23, 1943 | 1954/55 F17, type 15 |
Decommissioned in 1963, demolished in 1970 |
|
Undine R69 |
Thornycroft | 03/18/1942 | 1.06.1943 | December 23, 1943 | 1952–54 F141, type 15 |
1960 out of service, August 1965 demolished |
|
Urania R05 |
Vickers B. B no. 832 |
06/18/1942 | May 19, 1943 | January 18, 1944 | 1953–55 F08, type 15 |
Decommissioned in 1962, demolished in August 1971 |
|
Terpsichore R33 |
Denny BNr. 1366 |
11/20/1941 | 06/17/1943 | 01/20/1944 | 1953/54 F19, type 16 |
1955 out of service, demolished in May 1966 |
|
Wakeful R59 |
Fairfield BNr. 603 |
June 3, 1942 | 06/30/1943 | 02/17/1944 | 1951–53 F159, type 15 |
last radar and satcom training ship, out of service in 1969, demolished in August 1971 |
|
Algonquin R17 |
John Brown BNr. 602 |
September 8, 1942 |
as Valentine : September 2, 1943 |
for Canada: 02/28/1944 |
1952/53 DDE224 |
Decommissioned April 1, 1970, demolished in Taiwan in 1971 |
|
Ursa R22 |
Thornycroft | 2.05.1942 | 07/22/1943 | 1.03.1944 | 1953–55 F200, type 15 |
Decommissioned October 28, 1966, demolished in September 1967 |
|
Undaunted R53 |
Cammell La. BNo. 1107 |
September 8, 1942 | 07/19/1943 | 3.03.1944 | 1953/54 F53, type 15 |
from 1959 on-board helicopter, out of service in July 1974, last target ship, sunk in 1978 |
|
Sioux R64 |
White | 10/31/1942 |
as Vixen : 14.09.1943 |
for Canada: 03/05/1944 |
Modernized in 1950 | August 1965 demolition in Italy |
|
Svenner G03 |
Scott's BNr. 601 |
November 5, 1941 |
as Shark : 06/01/1943 |
for Norway: 03/11/1944 |
Loss of war | Sunk by German torpedo boats on June 6, 1944 |
|
Wizard R72 |
Vickers Bar. BNr. 833 |
09/14/1942 | 09/14/1943 | 03/30/1944 | 1953/54 F72, type 15 |
Decommissioned in 1966, demolished in March 1967 |
|
Wager R98 |
John Brown BNr. 603 |
06/24/1942 | 11/1/1943 | 04/14/1944 | === | October 1956 to Yugoslavia: 1959 in service as Pula , 1971 demolition |
|
Whelp R37 |
Hawthorn L. B No. 656 |
May 1, 1942 | June 3, 1943 | 04/25/1944 |
South Africa 1962-64 |
February 1953 South Africa: Simon van der Stel 23 February 1953 in service, 27 March 1973 out of service, 1976 demolition |
|
Wessex R78 |
Fairfield BNr. 706 |
08/20/1942 | September 2, 1943 | 05/11/1944 | South Africa 1964-66 | March 29, 1950 to South Africa: as Jan van Riebeeck , out of service in 1975, sunk as a target ship on March 25, 1980 |
|
Volage R41 |
White | December 31, 1942 | December 15, 1943 | 05/26/1944 | 1952/53 F41, type 15 |
October 22, 1946 Mine hit during the Corfu Canal incident, out of service in 1956, demolished at the end of 1972 |
|
Wrangler R48 |
Vickers Bar. BNr. 834 |
09/23/1942 | 12/30/1943 | 07/14/1944 | 1951–53 F72, type 15 |
November 1956 to South Africa: Vrystaat , out of service in 1963, sunk as a target ship on April 14, 1976 |
|
Whirlwind R87 |
Hawthorn L. B No. 657 |
07/31/1942 | 08/30/1943 | 07/20/1944 | 1953/54 F157, type 15 |
Decommissioned in 1966, sunk as a target ship on October 29, 1974 |
literature
- Maurice Cocker: Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981 , Ian Allen (1983), ISBN 0-7110-1075-7
- Norman Friedman: British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War , Seaforth Publishing (Barnsley 2009), ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9 .
- HT Lenton: Warships of the British and Commonwealth Navies , Ian Allan 1969,
- Leo Marriott: Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983 , Ian Allan (1983), ISBN 0-7110-1322-5
- Antony Preston: Destroyers , Hamlyn, ISBN 0-600-32955-0
- Alan Raven, John Roberts: War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes , Bivouac Books, London 1978, ISBN 0-85680-010-4
- MJ Whitley: Destroyers of World War 2 , Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1988, ISBN 0-87021-326-1
Web links
- "S", "T", "U", "V" and "W" destroyers (1943-1944) on navypedia
- STORD destroyers (1943-1944)
- ALGONQUIN destroyers (1944)
- PIET HEIN destroyers (1943 / 1945-1946)
- JAN VAN RIEBEECK destroyers (1944 / 1950–1953)
- KOTOR destroyers (1943–1944 / 1956) on navypedia
- Service Histories Destroyers S-class, T-class, U-Class, V-class & W-class on naval-history.net
- FLAG-SHOWING CRUISES BY SOUTH AFRICAN WARSHIPS, 1922-2002
Individual evidence
- ^ Raven / Roberts. War built Destroyers O to Z. classes , p. 2
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Raven / Roberts. War built Destroyers O to Z. classes , p. 3
- ↑ a b c d Raven / Roberts. War built Destroyers O to Z. classes. P. 7ff.
- ↑ a b Raven / Roberts. War built Destroyers O to Z. classes. P. 10.
- ↑ Lenton, p. 81
- ↑ Lenton, p. 78ff.