Hunt class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Hunt class was a class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of Destroyer escort
Escort destroyer
A Escort Destroyer is a US Navy post World War II classification for destroyers modified for and assigned to a fleet escort role. These destroyers retained their original hull numbers...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The first vessels were ordered early in 1939, and the class saw extensive service in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, particularly on the British East Coast and Mediterranean convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s. They were named after British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fox hunts
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. The contemporary Hunt class
Hunt class MCMV
The Hunt class is a class of thirteen mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy. They combine the separate role of the traditional minesweeper and that of the active minehunter in one hull...
of GRP hulled
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
mine countermeasure vessels maintain the Hunt names lineage in the Royal Navy.
History
The Royal Navy had identified the need for two types of destroyer; larger vessels with heavy gun and torpedo armaments for fleet work and another type for escort duties. Although old fleet destroyers could be allocated to escort work as new construction replaced them, they were unsuitable for the task. Fleet destroyers were designed for speed and their machinery was inefficient at convoy speeds, reducing their range. Their shape made them poor sea boats at low speed, also exacerbated by additional equipment on the superstructure. Modifications were needed to ease these problems.The escort vessels forsook the heavy armament and some of the speed of the fleet type to reduce unit cost and better suit mass production and the conditions. This new "fast escort vessel" was later classified as an "escort destroyer".
Eighty-six Hunts were completed, of which 72 were commissioned into the Royal Navy and the remaining 14 were transferred to allied navies; Bolebrooke, Border, Catterick, Hatherleigh, Modbury, Bramham and Hursley to the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Royal Hellenic Navy, Bedale, Oakley (i) and Silverton to Free Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
, Glaisdale, Eskdale and Badsworth
HMS Badsworth (L03)
HMS Badsworth was an escort destroyer of the Hunt Type II class. The Royal Navy ordered Badsworth 's construction three months after the outbreak of the Second World War. Cammel Laird laid down her keel at their Birkenhead yard on 15 May 1940, as Admiralty Job No. J3260...
to the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
and Haldon
French destroyer La Combattante
The Combattante was a destroyer of the Forces navales françaises libres . A British-built Hunt class destroyer, she was offered to the Free French in 1942.-History:...
to the Free French Navy.
Design
The Hunts were modelled on the 1938 escort sloopSloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, a 262 feet (80 m) ship of 1,190 tons with 3300 shp on geared turbines for 18¾ knots and an armament of three twin Mark XIX mounts for the QF 4 inches (102 mm) gun Mark XVI. The guns were controlled by a Fuze Keeping Clock
Fuze Keeping Clock
The Fuze Keeping Clock was a simplified version of the Royal Navy's High Angle Control System analogue fire control computer. It first appeared as the FKC Mk1 in destroyers of the 1938 Tribal class, while later variants were used on sloops, frigates, destroyers, aircraft carriers and several...
AA fire control computer when engaging aircraft. The Hunt class was to ship the same armament, plus a quadruple QF 2 pounder
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
mount Mark VII on a hull of the same length but with 8 feet (2 m) less beam and installed power raised to 19000 shp to give 27 knots (53 km/h). The first twenty were ordered in March and April 1939. They were constructed to Admiralty standards, as were contemporary destroyers, unlike the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s which conformed much more to mercantile practice.
Clearly the Hunts posed a major design challenge. They would be too short and narrow and of insufficient range for open ocean work, being restricted to the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. This sacrifice was accepted to give any chance of meeting the requirements. The demanding specifications in an overworked Admiralty design department resulted in a major design miscalculation. When the detailed calculations were done the centre of gravity was lower than expected and the beam was increased. As the first ships were being completed it was found that the design was as well as 70 tons overweight, top heavy leaving them dangerously deficient in stability. The first twenty ships were so far advanced in construction that it was necessary to remove the 'X' 4 inch mount and add 50 tons of permanent ballast. These ships became the Type I group, and had the multiple 2 pounder gun relocated from behind the funnel to the more advantageous 'X' position.
The design deficiency of the Type I was rectified by splitting the hulls lengthwise and adding a 2½ foot section, increasing the beam to 31 ft 6 in and the margin of stability sufficiently for the designed armament to be shipped. These ships became the Type II group, and also had a revised design of bridge with the compass platform extending forwards to the wheelhouse face. Under the 1939 Emergency War Programme 36 more Hunts had been ordered: three of these were completed to the original (Type I) design. Depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
stowage could also be increased from 40 in the Type I to 110.
For the 1940 building programme, torpedoes were deemed necessary. The next 27 ships were completed to a revised design, the Type III group, and were intended specifically for Mediterranean work. They sacrificed 'Y' gun for a pair of 21 inch torpedo
British 21 inch torpedo
There have been several British 21-inch diameter torpedoes used by the Royal Navy since their first development just before the First World War.They were the largest size of torpedo in common use in the RN...
tubes amidships, the searchlight being displaced to the aft shelter deck as a result. The Type III Hunts could be easily identified as they had a straight funnel with a sloping top and the foremast had no rake. Fourteen of them had their stabilizer fins removed (or not fitted in the first place) and the space used for extra fuel oil.
The last two Hunts came from an independent lineage and were built to a private design that had been prepared pre-war by John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
. Submitted to the Admiralty and rejected in 1938, a modified design had been accepted in 1940. They were known as the Type IV. They had a novel hull design, with a U-shaped forward section with a distinctive double knuckle and a full centre section with a square turn at the bilge. This form was intended to increase low-speed efficiency and reduce rolling without the need for ballast or stabilisers to improve the ships as gun platforms; testing showed an 8% increase in steaming efficiency at 20 knots (39 km/h) for a 2% loss full ahead. Other features included a long fo'c'sle stretching for most of the length of the ship, which increased internal accommodation space (the lack of which was a perennial problem in wartime ships with enlarged crews) and allowed the crew to fight the ship almost completely under cover. As a result, 'X' gun was now at the fo'c'sle deck level rather than on a raised shelter deck. The design was large enough to carry a triple set of torpedoes, but as they too were at fo'c'sle deck level the training apparatus had to be remotely mounted a deck below. Armament was completed by a pair of single 20 mm Oerlikon guns
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
in the bridge wings and a pair of power operated twin 0.5 inch Vickers machine guns
Vickers machine gun
Not to be confused with the Vickers light machine gunThe Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled .303 inch machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army...
amidships, quickly discovered to be ineffective and replaced by the Mark V twin mounting for the Oerlikon gun. The level of protection afforded to the crews in these two ships was found to be beneficial in wartime, where crews were often closed up at action stations for extended periods of time in appalling weather conditions, and the design - although it was something of a dead end - heavily influenced post-war escort designs.
All Hunt class except three Type II and the Type IV Brissenden had fin stabilisers forward to reduce rolling to make for a steadier gun platform. These were subsequently removed from the majority of the Type III ships to allow for an increase in bunkerage of 63 tons.
Modifications
The Hunt class was a very satisfactory design, but had limited surplus displacement to allow any major modifications. All ships had a pair of single Oerlikon guns added in the bridge wings as they became available, and Radar Type 285 added to the Rangefinder-Director Mark I carried on the bridge for the main armament. The air warning Radar Type 286 was added at the masthead, later replaced by Type 291, and Cotswold, Silverton, Bleasdale and Wensleydale had their searchlight replaced by Radar Type 272, a centimetric target indication set.Those vessels employed on East Coast convoy work, all the Type Is, the Type IIs Avon Vale, Blencathra and Liddesdale and the Type IIIs Bleasdale and Glaisdale were fitted with a single QF 2 pounder "bow chaser" gun for anti-E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
work. Most Type IIIs later had their single Oerlikon guns replaced with twin powered mountings Mark V, and some had two single 40 mm Bofors guns
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
added, one each forward of the wheelhouse and on the quarterdeck.
Type I
The first ten of the following were ordered on 21 March 1939, and the other ten of 11 April 1939. Three more were ordered on 4 September 1939 (see below) were intended to be of Type II, but were actually completed to the Type I design.
- HMS
- Builder: Cammell LairdCammell LairdCammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
, BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool... - Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 12 December 1939
- Completed: 23 March 1940
- Fate: Paid off October 1945 and broken up 25 November 1957.
- Builder: Cammell Laird
- HMS
- Builder: Cammell LairdCammell LairdCammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
, BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool... - Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 29 January 1940
- Completed: 6 June 1940
- Fate: Bombed during the Dieppe RaidDieppe RaidThe Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
19 August 1942.
- Builder: Cammell Laird
- HMS
- Builder: YarrowYarrow ShipbuildersYarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
, BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool... - Laid down: 9 June 1939
- Launched: 22 February 1940
- Completed: 22 July 1940
- Fate: Paid off 26 March 1946, and broken up 2 July 1957.
- Builder: Yarrow
- HMS
- Builder: YarrowYarrow ShipbuildersYarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
, ScotstounScotstounScotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south... - Laid down: 7 July 1939
- Launched: 24 April 1940
- Completed: 18 September 1940
- Fate: Paid off September 1945; sold to be broken up 1957, but wrecked en route to the scrapyard.
- Builder: Yarrow
- HMS
- Builder: Vickers-Armstrong, TyneRiver TyneThe River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
- Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 28 December 1939
- Completed: 28 August 1940
- Fate: Paid off 1945 and broken up 28 May 1956.
- Builder: Vickers-Armstrong, Tyne
- HMS
- Builder: Vickers-Armstrong, TyneRiver TyneThe River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
- Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 25 January 1940
- Completed: 1 November 1940
- Fate: Sunk by E-boatE-boatE-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
S-30, off Lowestoft, 25 February 1941.
- Builder: Vickers-Armstrong, Tyne
- HMS
- Builder: John Brown & CompanyJohn Brown & CompanyJohn Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
, ClydebankClydebankClydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and... - Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 9 January 1940
- Completed: 29 May 1940
- Fate: Aircraft target ship August 1945 to 1947. Paid off 1947, and broken up 7 November 1956.
- Builder: John Brown & Company
- HMS
- Builder: John Brown & CompanyJohn Brown & CompanyJohn Brown and Company of Clydebank was a pre-eminent Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm, responsible for building many notable and world-famous ships, such as the , the , the , the , the , and the...
, ClydebankClydebankClydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and... - Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 14 February 1940
- Completed: 1 July 1940
- Fate: Paid off December 1945 and broken up 15 August 1958.
- Builder: John Brown & Company
- HMS
- Builder: Swan HunterSwan HunterSwan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
, WallsendWallsendWallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:... - Laid down: 8 June 1939
- Launched: 12 December 1939
- Completed: 8 June 1940
- Fate: Paid off December 1945 and broken up 4 February 1958.
- Builder: Swan Hunter
- HMS
- Builder: Swan HunterSwan HunterSwan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
, WallsendWallsendWallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:... - Laid down: 29 June 1939
- Launched: 8 February 1940
- Completed: 10 August 1940
- Fate: Paid off 20 May 1946 and broken up 20 November 1956.
- Builder: Swan Hunter
- HMS
- Builder: YarrowYarrow ShipbuildersYarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
, ScotstounScotstounScotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south... - Laid down: 11 October 1939
- Launched: 18 July 1940
- Completed: 16 November 1940
- Fate: Paid off 29 June 1946 and broken up 11 September 1957.
- Builder: Yarrow
- HMS
- Builder: Yarrow ShipbuildersYarrow ShipbuildersYarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
, ScotstounScotstounScotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south... - Laid down: 12 December 1939
- Launched: 5 September 1940
- Completed: 29 December 1940
- Fate: Paid off 28 February 1946. Sold to EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1950 as Ibrahim el Awal, renamed Mohamed Ali el Kebir in 1951, scrapped.
- Builder: Yarrow Shipbuilders
- HMS
- Builder: Swan HunterSwan HunterSwan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
, WallsendWallsendWallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:... - Laid down: 10 August 1939
- Launched: 9 April 1940
- Completed: 12 October 1940
- Fate: Paid off 20 May 1946. Sold to Nationalist China 1947 and renamed Lin Fu. Seized prior to delivery and re-sold 1949 to Egypt as Mohamed Ali el Kebir, renamed Ibrahim el Awal in 1951, captured by Israel on 31 October 1956 and commissioned as INS Haifa (K-38), decommissioned 1968 used as training target and sunk by Gabriel missile.
- Builder: Swan Hunter
- HMS
- Builder: Swan HunterSwan HunterSwan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
, WallsendWallsendWallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:... - Laid down: 10 August 1939
- Launched: 7 June 1940
- Completed: 30 December 1940
- Fate: Aircraft target ship 11 September 1945 to December 1946, when paid off. Sold to Ecuador 1954 and renamed Presidente Velasco Ibarra.
- Builder: Swan Hunter
- HMS
- Builder: ScottsScotts Shipbuilding and Engineering CompanyScotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...
, GreenockGreenockGreenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland... - Laid down: 26 July 1939
- Launched: 13 February 1940
- Completed: 23 October 1940
- Fate: Paid off August 1946 and broken up 1 December 1956.
- Builder: Scotts
- HMS
- Builder: ScottsScotts Shipbuilding and Engineering CompanyScotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...
, GreenockGreenockGreenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland... - Laid down: 26 July 1939
- Launched: 22 April 1940
- Completed: 6 February 1941
- Fate: Paid off December 1945. Sold to Ecuador 1954 and renamed Presidente Alfaro.
- Builder: Scotts
- HMS
- Builder: J. Samuel WhiteJ. Samuel WhiteJ. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White . It came to prominence during the Victorian era...
, CowesCowesCowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank... - Laid down: 26 July 1939
- Launched: 27 March 1940
- Completed: 21 September 1940
- Fate: Sunk by a Linsen explosive motor boat off the Normandy beaches during the D-DayD-DayD-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion, 2 August 1944.
- Builder: J. Samuel White
- HMS
- Builder: J. Samuel WhiteJ. Samuel WhiteJ. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White . It came to prominence during the Victorian era...
, CowesCowesCowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank... - Laid down: 22 August 1939
- Launched: 5 July 1940
- Completed: 8 November 1940
- Fate: Aircraft target ship 8 September 1945 to 1946. Paid off 22 May 1946, and broken up 1 November 1956.
- Builder: J. Samuel White
- HMS
- Builder: StephensAlexander Stephen and SonsAlexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Govan in Glasgow, on the River Clyde.-History:...
, LinthouseLinthouseLinthouse is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. It is immediately west of Govan, and although it is often referred to locally as 'Govan' due to its closeness, it is in fact a distinct area .Linthouse was home to the shipbuilder... - Laid down: 27 July 1939
- Launched: 5 June 1940
- Completed: 2 December 1940
- Fate: Sunk by torpedo 12 December 1943.
- Builder: Stephens
- HMS
- Builder: StephensAlexander Stephen and SonsAlexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Govan in Glasgow, on the River Clyde.-History:...
, LinthouseLinthouseLinthouse is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. It is immediately west of Govan, and although it is often referred to locally as 'Govan' due to its closeness, it is in fact a distinct area .Linthouse was home to the shipbuilder... - Laid down: 27 July 1939
- Launched: 16 July 1940
- Completed: 28 February 1941
- Fate: Paid off October 1945 and broken up 5 April 1959.
- Builder: Stephens
Type II
Eighteen were ordered on 4 September 1940 and two more (Lauderdale and Ledbury) on the following day. Three of these were completed to the Type I specification - Blankney, Blencathra and Brocklesby). A final batch of sixteen were ordered on 20 December 1939. - John Brown, Clydebank - Cammell Laird, Birkenhead - sold to the Indian Navy; commissioned as in 1953 - Lost 13 November 1943 - Scrapped at Blyth on 4 December 1962 - Lost 20 March 1942 - Sold to Indian Navy; commissioned as in 1953 - Vickers-Armstrongs, Tyne, BU 1948 (i) - To the Polish Navy as Kujawiak - Lost 6 September 1943, by U-boat 617, 129 crew rescued. - To the Polish Navy as Krakowiak - Yarrow, Scotstoun - To the Royal Norwegian Navy as Arendal - To the Polish Navy as Slazak; reverted to Royal Navy, and sold to Indian Navy; commissioned as in 1953 - To the Royal Danish Navy as Esbern Snare - To the Royal Hellenic Navy as Themistocles - To the Royal Danish Navy as Rolf Krake - To the Royal Danish Navy as Valdemar Sejr - Lost 12 June 1942 - To the Royal Hellenic Navy as Kriti - Lost 22 October 1943 (ii) - begun as Tickham and renamed. - Lost 24 March 1942, Malta convoy MW10, Zonker Point, Malta
Type III
Hawthorn Leslie and Company
R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding and locomotive manufacturer. The Company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982.-History:...
- Lost December 1942, torpedoed by U-443
Unterseeboot 443
German submarine U-443 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.She was commissioned on 18 April 1942. U-443 served with 8th U-boat Flotilla for training, with 9th U-boat Flotilla from 1 October 1942 to 31 December 1942, and with 29th U-boat Flotilla...
- Vickers-Armstrongs - Swan Hunter - Transferred to Greece as Pindos - Swan Hunter - Transferred to Greece as Adrias. Written off after mined October 1943 - Vickers-Armstrongs - Bought by Greece in 1946 as Hastings - Vickers-Armstrongs - Written off after torpedoed by aircraft March 1943 - White - White - Sold to Federal German Navy in 1959 as Brommy - Cammell Laird - Transferred to Royal Norwegian Navy. Torpedoed by E boat April 1943 - Cammell Laird - Transferred to Royal Norwegian Navy. Bought by Norway 1946 as Narvik - Fairfield
Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the...
- Written off after mined July 1944 - Fairfield - Transferred to Free French as . Mined February 1945 - Vickers-Armstrongs - Transferred to Greece as Kanaris - Vickers-Armstrongs - Stephens - Torpedoed by U-593 December 1943 - Stephens - Torpedoed by T-22 October 1943 - Swan Hunter - Swan Hunter - Transferred to Greece as Miaoulis - Vickers-Armstrongs - Torpedoed by E-boat
E-boat
E-boats was the designation for Motor Torpedo Boats of the German Navy during World War II. It is commonly held that the E stood for Enemy....
December 1942 - Vickers-Armstrongs - Written off after hit by glider bomb November 1943 - White - White - Yarrow - Bought by Greece 1946 as Adrias - Yarrow - Written off after collision November 1944
Type IV
These very distinct vessels were built to a radically different private design by Thornycroft
John I. Thornycroft & Company
John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm started by John Isaac Thornycroft in the 19th century.-History:...
at Southampton, ordered on 28 July 1940.
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- Laid down: 27 February 1941
- Launched: 27 June 1942
- Completed: 18 December 1942
- Fate: Paid off 4 December 1945 and broken up on 17 September 1962 at Faslane.
- Laid down: 28 February 1941
- Launched: 15 September 1942
- Completed: 12 February 1943
- Fate: Paid off 19 June 1948 and broken up on 3 March 1965 at Dalmuir.