Town-class destroyer
![]() HMS Leamington | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Town class |
Builders | Various |
Operators |
|
Built | 1917–20 |
In commission | 1940–47 (RN) |
Completed | 50 |
Lost | 10 |
Retired | 40 scrapped |
Preserved | 0 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Destroyer: USN Caldwell, Wickes and Clemson classes |
Displacement | 1,020 to 1,190 tons[1] |
Length | 314 ft 4.5 in (95.8 m) |
Beam | 30 ft 11.25 in (9.4 m) |
Draught | 9 ft 0 in (2.7 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 30–35 knots (56–65 km/h; 35–40 mph)[2] |
Complement | 146 |
Armament |
|
The Town-class destroyers were a group of 50 destroyers of the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy that were in service during the Second World War. They were transferred from the United States Navy in exchange for military bases in the British West Indies and Newfoundland, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United Kingdom and United States, signed on 2 September 1940. They were known as "four-pipers" or "four-stackers" because they had four smokestacks (funnels). Later classes of destroyers typically had one or two.
Some went to the Royal Canadian Navy at the outset. Others went on to the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the Soviet Navy after serving with the Royal Navy. Although given a set of names by the Commonwealth navies that suggested they were one class they actually came from three classes of destroyer: Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson. "Town class" refers to the Admiralty's practice of renaming these ships after towns common to the United States and the British Commonwealth.[3] Ships initially commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy, however, followed the Canadian practice of giving destroyers the names of Canadian rivers. The rivers selected for the Town class were on the border between Canada and the United States, with the exception of Annapolis — the name of both a river in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, and the location of the United States Naval Academy.[4]
One of the Town-class ships achieved lasting fame: HMS Campbeltown (ex-USS Buchanan). In the Commando raid Operation Chariot, Campbeltown, fitted with a large demolition charge, rammed the gates of the Normandie dock at Saint-Nazaire, France. The charge detonated on 29 March 1942, breaching the drydock and destroying Campbeltown, thus destroying the only drydock on the Atlantic coast capable of accepting the Tirpitz. This exploit was depicted in the 1950 Trevor Howard film The Gift Horse, which starred HMS Leamington (ex-USS Twiggs) after her return from service in the Soviet Union.
Characteristics
Built for service during the First World War, but in the main completed after the end of that conflict, the flush-deckers were, by 1940, the oldest destroyers in the US Navy, and many had been mothballed for the inter-war period. While contemporaneous to the British V and W-class destroyers they were not much liked by their crews. While the V and W classes set a new standard for destroyer design, the flush-deckers were already obsolescent by comparison.[5] They were uncomfortable and wet, working badly in a seaway. Their hull lines were rather narrow and 'herring-gutted' which gave them a vicious roll. The officers didn't like the way they handled either, since they had been built with propellers that turned the same way (2-screw ships normally have the shafts turning in opposite directions as the direction of rotation has effects on the rudder and the whole ship when manoeuvring, especially when coming alongside), so these were as awkward to handle as single-screw ships. Their turning circle was enormous, as big as most Royal Navy battleships, making them difficult to use in a submarine hunt which demanded tight manoeuvres, compounded by unreliable "chain and cog" steering gear laid across the main deck. They also had fully enclosed bridges which caused problems with reflections in the glass at night. One Royal Canadian Navy corvette captain described them as "the most dubious gift since the Trojan Horse".[6] However, despite their disadvantages they were a welcome addition to forces escorting convoys in the Atlantic at a time when the U-boats, operating from newly acquired bases on the Atlantic coast of France were becoming an increasingly serious threat to British shipping. They were also seen as an earnest of the United States’ commitment to support Britain against Nazism.[7]
The original armament was four 4-inch (102 mm) guns,[8] one 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun, and twelve torpedo tubes.[9] On the Wickes-class, the 4-inch gun placement was one gun in a shield on the forecastle, one on the quarterdeck and one each side on a platform between the number 2 and number 3 funnels. The Admiralty promptly removed one of the 4-inch guns and six torpedo tubes to improve stability.[10] Twenty-three of the class had further armament reductions for anti-submarine escort of trade convoys.[11] Two of the remaining 4-inch guns and three of the remaining torpedo tubes were removed to allow increased depth charge stowage and installation of Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar system.[11]
Ships in class by origin
The ships were divided by the Royal Navy into four groups based on their characteristics.[12]
- Type A corresponded to the 20 ships of the Clemson class, having a standard displacement of 1,190 tons powered by geared turbines that produced a maximum speed of 28.5 knots. They were armed with four single 4-inch guns and one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, with triple 21-inch torpedo tubes. Overall length was 314 ft 4 in, beam 31 ft 8 in and draught 12 ft 10 in.
- Type B were the 12 ships of the Wickes class built to plans prepared by the Bath Iron Works. These were lighter than the type A ships, with a displacement of 1090 tons but they had the same armament and machinery with a slightly better speed of 28.75 kt.
- Type C were the 15 ships of the Wickes class built to plans prepared by Bethlehem Steel, with a displacement of 1,060 tons and an improved speed of 29.75 kt.
- Type D were the 3 ships of the Caldwell class, smaller again at 1020 tons, with a gun armament of four single 3-inch guns and built with direct drive turbines, but having a speed of 30 kt. The type D vessels were recognizable also in having only three funnels.
Characteristic | Type A | Type B | Type C | Type D |
---|---|---|---|---|
Standard disp., long tons (t) | 1,190 | 1,090 | 1,060 | 1,020 |
Full load disp., long tons (t) | 1,725 | 1,530 | 1,530 | 1,445 |
Length (oa) | 314 ft 4 in (95.81 m) | 314 ft 4 in (95.81 m) | 314 ft 4 in (95.81 m) | 315 ft 6 in (96.16 m) |
Beam | 31' 8" | 31' 0" | 31' 8" | 31' 2" |
Draught | 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m) | 11 ft 11 in (3.63 m) | 11 ft 11 in (3.63 m) | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
Machinery | geared turbines | geared turbines | geared turbines | direct drive turbines |
Boilers | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Shafts | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Speed, knots (kt) | 28.5 | 28.75 | 29.75 | 30 |
Main armament | 4 × 4-inch guns in single mounts | 4 × 1 3/50 gun | ||
Anti-aircraft guns | 1 × 3-inch gun. | 1 × 1 3/23 | ||
Torpedo tubes | 4 × 3 21-in. | 4 × 3 21-in. | 4 × 3 21-in. | 4 × 3 21-in. |
Name | Type | ex- USN | Class | Builder | Completed | Transferred |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annapolis | C | USS MacKenzie | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 25 July 1919 | 29 September 1940 |
Columbia | C | USS Haraden | Wickes | Seattle Dry Dock Co. | 6 June 1919 | 24 September 1940 |
Niagara | C | USS Thatcher | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 14 January 1919 | 26 September 1940 |
St. Clair | C | USS Williams | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 1 March 1919 | 29 September 1940 |
St. Croix | A | USS McCook | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 30 April 1919 | 24 September 1940 |
St. Francis | A | USS Bancroft | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 30 June 1919 | 24 September 1940 |
Name | Type | ex- USN | Class | Builder | Completed | Transferred |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bath | C | USS Hopewell | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 21 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Belmont | A | USS Satterlee | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 22 December 1919 | 8 October 1940 |
Beverley | A | USS Branch | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 3 April 1920 | 8 October 1940 |
Bradford | A | USS McLanahan | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 5 September 1919 | 8 October 1940 |
Brighton | C | USS Cowell | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 17 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Broadwater | A | USS Mason | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 28 February 1920 | 2 October 1940 |
Broadway | A | USS Hunt | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 8 June 1920 | 8 October 1940 |
Burnham | A | USS Aulick | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 26 July 1919 | 8 October 1940 |
Burwell | A | USS Laub | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 17 March 1919 | 8 October 1940 |
Buxton | A | USS Edwards | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 24 April 1919 | 8 October 1940 |
Caldwell | B | USS Hale | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 12 June 1919 | 9 September 1940 |
Cameron | A | USS Welles | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 2 September 1919 | 9 September 1940 |
Campbeltown | B | USS Buchanan | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 20 January 1919 | 9 September 1940 |
Castleton | B | USS Aaron Ward | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 21 April 1919 | 9 September 1940 |
Charlestown | C | USS Abbot | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 18 July 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Chelsea | B | USS Crowninshield | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 6 August 1919 | 9 September 1940 |
Chesterfield | A | USS Welborn C. Wood | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 25 June 1920 | 9 September 1940 |
Churchill | A | USS Herndon | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 17 April 1920 | 9 September 1940 |
Clare | A | USS Abel P. Upshur | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 21 May 1920 | 9 September 1940 |
Georgetown | C | USS Maddox | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 10 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Hamilton | C | USS Kalk | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 29 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Lancaster | B | USS Philip | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 25 August 1919 | 23 October 1940 |
Leamington | B | USS Twiggs | Wickes | New York SB Co. | 28 July 1919 | 23 October 1940 |
Leeds | D | USS Conner | Caldwell | Cramp | 12 January 1918 | 23 October 1940 |
Lewes | D | USS Conway | Caldwell | Norfolk Navy Yard | 19 October 1918 | 23 October 1940 |
Lincoln | B | USS Yarnall | Wickes | Cramp | 29 November 1918 | 23 October 1940 |
Ludlow | D | USS Stockton | Caldwell | Cramp | 26 November 1917 | 23 October 1940 |
Mansfield | B | USS Evans | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 11 November 1918 | 23 October 1940 |
Montgomery | B | USS Wickes | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 31 July 1918 | 25 October 1940 |
Newark | C | USS Ringgold | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 14 November 1918 | 5 December 1940 |
Newmarket | C | USS Robinson | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 19 October 1918 | 5 December 1940 |
Newport | C | USS Sigourney | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 14 May 1918 | 5 December 1940 |
Ramsey | A | USS Meade | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 8 September 1919 | 26 November 1940 |
Reading | A | USS Bailey | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 27 June 1919 | 26 November 1940 |
Richmond | B | USS Fairfax | Wickes | Mare Island Navy Yard | 6 April 1918 | 26 November 1940 |
Ripley | A | USS Shubrick | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 2 July 1919 | 26 November 1940 |
Rockingham | A | USS Swasey | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 31 July 1919 | 26 November 1940 |
Roxborough | C | USS Foote | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 21 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Salisbury | B | USS Claxton | Wickes | Mare Island Navy Yard | 13 September 1919 | 5 December 1940 |
St Albans | C | USS Thomas | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 25 April 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
St. Mary's | C | USS Doran | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 26 August 1919 | 23 September 1940 |
Sherwood | A | USS Rodgers | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 22 July 1919 | 23 October 1940 |
Stanley | A | USS McCalla | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 19 May 1919 | 23 October 1940 |
Wells | B | USS Tillman | Wickes | Charleston Navy Yard | 30 April 1921 | 5 December 1940 |
Ships in class by operator
Royal Canadian Navy
Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annapolis | USS MacKenzie | 29 September 1940 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to training ship April 1944 | towed to Boston for scrapping on 22 June 1945. |
Buxton | HMS Buxton | August 1942 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to training ship August 1943 | She was scrapped on 21 March 1946. |
Columbia | USS Haraden | 24 September 1940 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to replenishment hulk Feb 1944 | She was scrapped on 7 August 1945. |
Hamilton | HMS Hamilton | June 1941 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to tender August 1943 | lost while being towed to Boston for scrapping in 1945. |
Niagara | USS Thatcher | 26 September 1940 | on 28 August 1941 Niagara was involved in the capture of U-570, which had surrendered to an RAF Hudson the previous day | She was scrapped by the end of 1947. |
St. Clair | USS Williams | 29 September 1940 | convoy escort with NEF, then WLEF. relegated to submarine depot ship 1943 | She was scrapped on 5 March 1946. |
St. Croix | USS McCook | 24 September 1940 | escorting convoy ON 113 she attacked and sank U-90 on 27 July 1942; escorting convoy KMS-10, St Croix and HMCS Shediac sank U-87 | while escorting the combined convoys ONS 18/ON 202, St Croix was twice torpedoed by U-305 and sunk on 20 September 1943; survivors were taken aboard the frigate HMS Itchen, which was sunk on 22 September with very heavy loss of life; only one of St Croix's crew of 147 survived. |
St. Francis | USS Bancroft | 24 September 1940 | convoy escort with MOEF; relegated to training early 1944 | She was wrecked while being towed for scrapping on 14 July 1945. |
RCN (loaned from the Royal Navy)
Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chelsea | HMS Chelsea | November 1942 | transferred to the Soviet Union as Derzky on 16 July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 24 June 1949 | She was scrapped on 27 July 1949. |
Georgetown | HMS Georgetown | September 1942 | transferred to the Soviet Union as Zhyostky in August 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 9 September 1952[13] | She was scrapped on 16 September 1952. |
Leamington | HMS Leamington | November 1942 | during the fighting around convoy SC 42 in the North Atlantic she shared in the sinking of U-207 on 11 September 1941; while covering convoy WS-17 in the UK approaches, sank U-587 on 27 March 1942; transferred to the Soviet Union as Zhguchy on 17 July 1944; returned on 15 November 1950; hired for the film The Gift Horse, the last Town-class destroyer at sea under her own power | She was scrapped on 3 December 1951. |
Lincoln | HNoMS Lincoln | July 1942 | transferred to the Soviet Union as Druzhny on 26 August 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 24 August 1952 | She was scrapped on 3 September 1952. |
Mansfield | HNoMS Mansfield | September 1942 | heavily involved in the critical convoy actions of March 1943 with convoy HX-229, landing survivors in the United Kingdom | sold on 24 October 1944 for scrapping. |
Montgomery | HMS Montgomery | December 1941 | on convoy escort Montgomery rescued the survivors of Scottish Standard on 21 February 1941 and sank the Italian submarine Marcello the next day | She was scrapped on 10 April 1945. |
Richmond | HMS Richmond | June 1943 | transferred to the Soviet Union as Zhivuchy on 16 June 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 26 June 1949 | She was scrapped on 29 June 1949. |
Salisbury | HMS Salisbury | September 1942 | she was employed as a special escort for specific convoys, including escorting Wasp during the supply of Spitfires to Malta | She was scrapped in the US in April 1945. |
Royal Navy
Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bath | USS Hopewell | 23 September 1940 | to Norway as HNoMS Bath in April 1941 | lost on 19 August 1941 |
Belmont | USS Satterlee | 8 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | while escorting troop convoy NA-2 from St. John's, Newfoundland, Belmont was torpedoed by U-82 on 31 January 1942 and sank with the loss of her entire ship's company. |
Beverley | USS Branch | 8 October 1940 | she attacked and sank U-187 on 4 February 1942. | Beverley was torpedoed by U-188 on 11 April 1943 and was sunk with the loss of all but four of the ship's company of 152. |
Bradford | USS McLanahan | 8 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | consigned for scrapping in August 1946. |
Brighton | USS Cowell | 23 September 1940 | to the Soviet Union as Zharky on 16 July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 4 March 1949 | She was scrapped on 18 May 1949. |
Broadwater | USS Mason | 2 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | escorting convoy SC 48 between St. John's, Newfoundland and Iceland, Broadwater was torpedoed by U-101 and sunk on 18 October 1941. |
Broadway | USS Hunt | 8 October 1940 | while escorting convoy OB 318, Broadway took part in the attack on U-110 on 9 May 1941; abandoned by its crew, U-110 was boarded and taken in tow. Escorting convoy HX 237, Broadway located and sank U-89 in the North Atlantic on 14 May 1943 | allocated for scrapping in March 1948. |
Burnham | USS Aulick | 8 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 2 December 1948. |
Burwell | USS Laub | 8 October 1940 | one of the ships involved in the recovery of U-570 after its surrender to an RAF aircraft | consigned for scrapping in March 1947. |
Buxton | USS Edwards | 8 October 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Buxton in August 1942 | Scrapped 21 March 1946 |
Caldwell | USS Hale | 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 7 June 1945. |
Cameron | USS Welles | 9 September 1940 | Cameron never reached operational service; hit and set on fire by an air raid in Portsmouth on 5 December 1940, she was considered by the U.S. Navy as the worst damaged but surviving destroyer available and was extensively studied for explosive effects and damage control | consigned for scrapping on 1 December 1944. |
Campbeltown | USS Buchanan | 9 September 1940 | to Netherlands as Campbeltown in March 1941; Returned September 1941 | she was destroyed in Operation Chariot, 28 March 1942 |
Castleton | USS Aaron Ward | 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 2 January 1948. |
Charlestown | USS Abbot | 23 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 3 December 1948. |
Chelsea | USS Crowninshield | 9 September 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Chelsea in November 1942; to the Soviet Union as Derzky in July 1944 | returned and scrapped 1949 |
Chesterfield | USS Welborn C. Wood | 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 3 December 1948. |
Churchill | USS Herndon | 9 September 1940 | to the Soviet Union as Deyatelny in July 1944 | lost on 16 January 1945 |
Clare | USS Abel P. Upshur | 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 18 February 1947. |
Georgetown | USS Maddox | 23 September 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Georgetown in September 1942; to the Soviet Union as Zhyostky in August 1944.[13] | returned and scrapped September 1952 |
Hamilton | USS Kalk | 23 September 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Hamilton in June 1941 | sold for scrap July 1945, sank under tow to breakers |
Lancaster | USS Philip | 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 30 May 1947. |
Leamington | USS Twiggs | 23 October 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Leamington in November 1942; to the Soviet Union as Zhguchy in July 1944 (starred in 1950 film The Gift Horse, which depicted the St. Nazaire Raid) | Scrapped December 1951 |
Leeds | USS Conner | 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 19 January 1949. |
Lewes | USS Conway | 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She outlived all of her sisters in British service and was stripped of valuable scrap and scuttled off Sydney, Australia on 25 May 1946. |
Lincoln | USS Yarnall | 23 October 1940 | to Norway as HNoMS Lincoln in February 1942; to Canada as HMCS Lincoln in November 1942; to the Soviet Union as Druzny in August 1944 | returned and scrapped August 1952 |
Ludlow | USS Stockton | 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | stripped and beached as a target for rocket firing aircraft off Fidra Island, United Kingdom. |
Mansfield | USS Evans | 23 October 1940 | to Norway as HNoMS Mansfield in December 1940; to Canada as HMCS Mansfield in September 1942 | Scrapped 1945 |
Montgomery | USS Wickes | 25 October 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Montgomery in December 1941 | Scrapped April 1945 |
Newark | USS Ringgold | 5 December 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | consigned for scrapping on 18 February 1947. |
Newmarket | USS Robinson | 5 December 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 21 September 1945. |
Newport | USS Sigourney | 5 December 1940 | to Norway as HNoMS Newport in March 1941 | She was scrapped on 18 February 1947. |
Ramsey | USS Meade | 26 November 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped July 1947. |
Reading | USS Bailey | 26 November 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 24 July 1945. |
Richmond | USS Fairfax | 26 November 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Richmond in June 1943; to the Soviet Union as Zhivuchy in June 1944 | Returned and scrapped June 1949 |
Ripley | USS Shubrick | 26 November 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | consigned for scrapping on 10 March 1945. |
Rockingham | USS Swasey | 26 November 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | while returning to Aberdeen on 27 September 1944, poor navigation brought her into the defensive minefields off the east coast of the United Kingdom, and after striking a mine Rockingham was abandoned and sank with the loss of one life. |
Roxborough | USS Foote | 23 September 1940 | while with convoy HX-222 Roxborough met with such heavy weather that the entire bridge structure was crushed, with eleven dead, including the Commanding Officer and 1st Lieutenant; the sole surviving executive officer managed to regain control of the ship, and under hand steering from aft, she made St. John's, Newfoundland; to the Soviet Union as Doblestny on 10 August 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 7 February 1949[14] | She was scrapped on 14 May 1949. |
Salisbury | USS Claxton | 5 December 1940 | to Canada as HMCS Salisbury in September 1942 | Scrapped April 1945 |
Sherwood | USS Rodgers) | 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | stripped of usable parts, Sherwood was beached on 3 October 1943 as a target for RAF rocket-equipped Beaufighters. |
St Albans | USS Thomas | 23 September 1940 | to Norway as HNoMS St. Albans in April 1941; to the Soviet Union as Dostoyny in July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 28 February 1949 | towed for scrapping on 18 May 1949. |
St. Mary's | USS Doran | 23 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped in December 1945. |
Stanley | USS McCalla | 23 October 1940 | escorting convoy HG 76 from Gibraltar, Stanley and accompanying vessels sank U-131 on 17 December 1941 and U-434 on the following day | Stanley was sunk by U-574 on 19 December 1941 with the loss of all but 25 of her crew. |
Wells | USS Tillman | 5 December 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped February 1946. |
Royal Netherlands Navy
Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Campbeltown | HMS Campbeltown | March 1941 | Returned to RN service in Sept 1941 as HMS Campbeltown | expended 28 March 1942 in Operation Chariot |
Royal Norwegian Navy
Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bath | HMS Bath | 9 April 1941 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | while escorting convoy OG 71 between Liverpool and Gibraltar, Bath was torpedoed by U-204 on 19 August 1941 and sank rapidly. |
Lincoln | HMS Lincoln | February 1942 | to RCN as HMCS Lincoln in July 1942; to Soviet Union as Druzhny on 26 August 1944; returned to Royal Navy on 24 August 1952 | Scrapped on 3 September 1952. |
Mansfield | HMS Mansfield | December 1940 | to RCN as HMCS Mansfield in September 1942 | sold on 24 October 1944 for scrapping. |
Newport | HMS Newport | March 1941 | returned to RN in June 1942 | scrapped 1947. |
St. Albans | HMS St Albans | 14 April 1941 | while with convoy SL 81, St Albans took part in the sinking of U-401 on 3 August 1941; encountered the Polish submarine Jastrzab, and in company with the minesweeper Seagull, attacked and sank it in early 1942; transferred to the Soviet Union as Dostoyny on 16 July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 28 February 1949 | towed for scrapping on 18 May 1949. |
Soviet Navy
Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deyatelny | HMS Churchill | 16 July 1944 | convoy escort in the Arctic Ocean | torpedoed and sunk by U-956 on 16 January 1945 while escorting a White Sea convoy; the last war loss of the class and the only one of the destroyers transferred to the Soviet Union to be lost. |
Derzky | HMCS Chelsea | 16 July 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 24 June 1949 | Scrapped on 27 July 1949. |
Doblestny | HMS Roxborough[14] | 10 August 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 7 February 1949 | Scrapped on 14 May 1949. |
Dostoyny | HNoMS St. Albans | 16 July 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 28 February 1949 | towed for scrapping on 18 May 1949. |
Druzhny | HMCS Lincoln | 26 August 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 24 August 1952 | Scrapped on 3 September 1952. |
Zharky | HMS Brighton | 16 July 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 4 March 1949 | Scrapped on 18 May 1949. |
Zhguchy | HMCS Leamington | 17 July 1944 | returned on 15 November 1950 | Scrapped on 3 December 1951. |
Zhivuchy | HMCS Richmond | 16 June 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 26 June 1949 | Scrapped on 29 June 1949. |
Zhyostky | HMCS Georgetown[13] | August 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 9 September 1952 | Scrapped on 16 September 1952. |
Notes
- ^ Lenton&Colledge 1968 pp.88–92
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Donald I., CAPT USN "Recommissioning Destroyers, 1939 Style" United States Naval Institute Proceedings September 1979 p.71
- ^ a b c Lenton&Colledge 1968 p.80
- ^ Milner 1985 p.23
- ^ Conway p.124
- ^ Bernard Edwards: Convoy Will Scatter; Pen & Sword 2013
- ^ Roskill p.348
- ^ Campbell 1985 p.143
- ^ Silverstone 1968 p.103
- ^ Lenton&Colledge 1968 pp.80
- ^ a b Lenton&Colledge 1968 pp.80&90–92
- ^ a b c d Hague p.14-15
- ^ a b c sources differ on whether Zhyostky was HMS Georgetown (Conway p.332) or HMS Roxborough (DANFS)
- ^ a b sources differ on whether Doblestny was HMS Georgetown (DANFS) or HMS Roxborough (Conway p332)
References
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- R Gardiner, R Gray (1985) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 ISBN 0-85177-245-5
- Lenton, H.T. & Colledge, J.J. (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Doubleday and Company.
- Hague, Arnold (1988) Destroyers for Great Britain: A History of the 50 Town Class Ships Transferred From the United States to Great Britain in 1940. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis ISBN 0-87021-782-8 (Limited view at archive.org)
- Milner, Marc (1985). North Atlantic Run. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-450-0.
- Roskill, SW (1954) The War at Sea: 1939-1945 Vol I. HMSO (ISBN: none)
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1968). U.S. Warships of World War II. Doubleday and Company.
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- Annapolis
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- Georgetown
- Hamilton
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- Lincoln
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- Montgomery
- Niagara
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- St. Croix
- St. Francis
Other operators | |
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- Preceded by: W class
- Followed by: HMS Ambuscade
- List of destroyers of the Royal Navy
- List of destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy