HMS Grimsby (FG-1936)

 

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The next three classes of sloop after the Shorehams were all about increasing the firepower of the type. The Grimsby's increased the main armament from two to four 4", then the Egret's doubled that from four to eight. A more balanced armament was put aboard the Bittern's with six guns which gave a better ASW armament. The Bittern was followed by the Black Swan class and then the Modified Black Swan class ships which were all constructed during the war.



Thirteen Grimsby Class were built, Eight in the UK, four for Australis and one for India. They proved to be an excellent investment and with World War Two refits and upgrade they were even better.


The three Egret class were a response to what had happened to ships in the Spanish Civil War. Those ships caught at sea with inadequate AA or no fighter cover just got hammered. The accuracy of the JU-87 meant many ships went to the bottom. The Egret, with its four twin 4" AA guns, had a very good barrage armament, but their close in armament of the one quad 0.5" machine gun mounting was very poor. WW2 upgrades with 20mm and later 40mm weapons improved this. All the electronic toys added during the early 40's meant that topweight became an issue and this was solved by removing 'Y' 4" mounting. The ships ended up looking like the Bitterns and Swans.


The Bittern and their follow ons, the Black Swan and Modified Black Swan classes, were a good blend of firepower and size. They were very good escorts. In the real world Commander Walkers escort group with Bitterns and Black Swans sunk more U-Boats than any other escort group. Really the only drawbacks to these ships was their low speed at 16.5 to 18 knots, and their need to be built in the Naval Dockyards because of their specialised parts. It was because of these problems the much more simple yet more capable River class frigates were put into production. One of the class had been modified as the Admiralty yacht for the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. The Enchantress was that vessel and provided the service with accommodation blocks at the rear of the ship. The Enchantress was reconverted to an escort at the end of 1939.


Note the single 4.7" guns forward. Those were replaced with twin 4" on conversion back to an escort.

 
Displacement 1,300 tons std, 1,710 tons full load.
Length 300 ft
Breadth 37 ft
Draught 12 ft
Machinery 2 shaft Triple Expansion or turbines, 4,500shp
Speed 20 knots
Range 7500 miles at 12 knots
Armament 6 x 4" (3x2) (or 4x4" or 8x4")
2 x 2pd (1x2)
2 x 20mm (2x1)
Complement 185
Notes  


Grimsby Class
 
Grimsby HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 November 1932 23 January 1933 19 July 1933 17 May 1934 Sunk in air attack by Italian and German dive bombers off Tobruk, 25 May 1941
Leith HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 November 1932 6 February 1933 9 September 1933 12 July 1934 Royal Danish Navy survey ship Galathea 1949, Scrapped 1955
Lowestoft HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 May 1933 21 August 1933 11 April 1934 22 November 1934 Sold into mercantile service, 1946, Scrapped 1955
Wellington HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 May 1933 25 September 1933 29 May 1934 24 January 1935 Sold to Honourable Company of Master Mariners as Headquarters, 1947
Londonderry HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 March 1934 11 June 1934 16 January 1935 20 September 1935 Broken up at Llanelly, 1948
Deptford HM Dockyard, Chatham 1 May 1933 30 April 1934 5 February 1935 20 August 1935 Broken up at Milford Haven, 1948
Aberdeen HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 March 1935 12 June 1935 22 January 1936 17 September 1936 Broken up at Hayle, 1949
Fleetwood HM Dockyard, Devonport 1 March 1935 14 August 1935 24 March 1936 19 November 1936 Broken up at Gateshead, 1959
Yarra Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney 22 December 1933 24 May 1934 28 March 1935 19 December 1935 Sunk in surface action off Java, 4 March 1942
Swan Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney 2 January 1935 1 May 1935 28 March 1936 10 December 1936 Broken up at Sydney, 1964
Parramatta Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney July 1938 9 November 1938 18 June 1939 8 April 1940 Sunk in dive bombing attack off Tobruk, 27 November 1941
Warrego Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney December 1938 10 May 1939 10 February 1940 21 August 1940 Broken up at Sydney, 1965
Indus Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Hebburn 14 August 1933 8 December 1933 24 August 1934 15 March 1935 Sunk in air attack off Akyab, 6 April 1942

Egret Class

Three ships were built; HMS Auckland, HMS Pelican and HMS Egret. Auckland was lost on 24 June 1941, to 48 Junkers 87 aircraft dive-bombing both her and HMAS Parramatta, off the coast of Tobruk. Pelican was an effective convoy escort, and was credited with the destruction of four U-boats. She survived until the end of the war, and was broken up in 1958. Egret was lost to a guided missile. While patrolling in the Bay of Biscay, she was attacked by 18 Do 217 aircraft, one of which carried the Henschel Hs 293 guided bomb.



Bittern Class

Enchantress served as convoy escort throughout the war, and was credited with the destruction of an Italian submarine. She survived the war and was sold into civilian service in 1946, being renamed Lady Enchantress. She was broken up in 1952. Stork was completed as an unarmed survey vessel, and was only armed after the outbreak of war. She also served as a convoy escort, and was senior ship in 36th Escort Group under Cdr. FJ Walker. She was credited with the destruction of four U-boats. Stork remained in service until being broken up in 1958. The third ship in the class was launched as Bittern, and completed as designed. She was involved in the Norwegian campaign, but was lost to air attacks at Namsos in 1940.

Black Swan (& Modified) Class ships

 
Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
Flamingo L18
later U18
Yarrow, Scotstoun 26 May 1938 18 April 1939 3 November 1939 Transferred to West Germany as Graf Spee 21 January 1959. Sold for breaking up 25 October 1967.
Black Swan L57
later U57
Yarrow, Scotstoun 20 June 1938 7 July 1939 27 January 1940 Sold for breaking up 13 September 1956.
Erne U03 Furness Sbdg, Haverton Hill-on-Tees 22 September 1939 5 August 1940 26 April 1941 Became RNVR training ship Wessex on the Solent 4 June 1952, broken up October 1965.
Ibis U99 Furness Sbdg, Haverton Hill-on-Tees 22 September 1939  28 November 1940 30 August 1941 Sunk by Italian torpedo bombers off Algiers on 10 November 1942.
Whimbrel U29 Yarrow, Scotstoun 31 October 1941 25 August 1942 13 January 1943 Transferred to Egypt as El Malek Farouq November 1949, renamed Tarik 1954.
Wild Goose U45 Yarrow, Scotstoun 28 January 1942 14 October 1942 11 March 1943 Sold for breaking up 27 February 1956.
Woodpecker U08 Denny, Dunbarton 23 February 1941 29 June 1942 14 December 1942 Sunk by U-256 on 27 February 1944.
Wren U28 Denny, Dunbarton 27 February 1941 11 August 1942 4 February 1943 Sold for breaking up 2 February 1956.
Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
Sutlej U95 Denny, Dunbarton 4 January 1940 1 October 1940 23 April 1941 Survey vessel 1955. Paid off at end 1978 and deleted 1982 or 1983.
Jumna U21 Denny, Dunbarton 28 February 1940 16 November 1940 13 May 1941 Survey vessel 1957. Renamed INS Jamuna 1968, paid off at end 1980 and broken up.
Narbada U40 Thornycroft, Woolston 30 August 1941 21 November 1942 29 April 1943 Renamed Jhelum 1948. Sold to be broken up 15 July 1959.
Godavari U52 Thornycroft, Woolston 30 October 1941 21 January 1943 28 June 1943 Renamed Sind 1948. Sold for breaking up 2 June 1959.
Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
Chanticleer U05 Denny, Dunbarton 6 June 1941 24 September 1942 29 March 1943 Constructive total loss following torpedoing on 18 November 1943 by U-515 (Henke). Renamed Lusitania 31 December 1943 as a base ship, then broken up at Lisbon 1945.
Crane U23 Denny, Dunbarton 13 June 1941 9 November 1942 10 May 1943 Broken up March 1965.
Cygnet U38 Cammell Laird, Birkenhead 30 August 1941 28 July 1942 1 December 1942 Broken up 16 March 1956.
Kite U87 Cammell Laird, Birkenhead 25 September 1941 13 October 1942 1 March 1943 Sunk by U-344 on 21 August 1944.
Lapwing U62 Scotts, Greenock 17 December 1941 16 July 1943 21 March 1944 Sunk by U-968 on 20 March 1945 just outside Murmansk, USSR.
Lark U11 Scotts, Greenock 5 May 1942 28 August 1943 10 April 1944 Constructive total loss following torpedoing by U-968 off Kola Inlet on 17 February 1945; salvaged by Soviet Navy and added as Neptun, finally broken up 1956.
Magpie U82 Thornycroft, Woolston 30 December 1941 24 March 1943 30 August 1943 Broken up 12 July 1959.
Peacock U96 Thornycroft, Woolston 29 November 1942 11 December 1943 10 May 1944 Broken up 7 May 1958.
Pheasant U49 Yarrow, Scotstoun 17 March 1942 21 December 1942 12 May 1943 Broken up January 1963.
Redpole U69 Yarrow, Scotstoun 18 May 1942 25 February 1943 24 June 1943 Broken up 20 November 1960.
Snipe U20 Denny, Dunbarton 21 September 1944 20 December 1945 9 September 1946 Broken up 23 August 1960.
Sparrow U71 Denny, Dunbarton 30 October 1944 18 February 1946 16 December 1946 Broken up 26 May 1958.
Starling U66 Fairfield, Govan 21 October 1941 14 October 1942 1 April 1943 Broken up July 1965.
Woodcock U90 Fairfield, Govan 21 October 1941 26 November 1942 29 May 1943 Sold for breaking up 28 November 1955.

Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
Actaeon U07 Thornycroft, Woolston 15 May 1944 25 July 1945 24 July 1946 Transferred to West Germany as Hipper 9 December 1958. Hulked July 1964, sold for breaking up 25 October 1967.
Amethyst U16 Alex. Stephen, Linthouse 25 March 1942 7 May 1943 2 November 1943 Broken up 18 January 1957.
Hart U58 Alex. Stephen, Linthouse 27 March 1942 7 July 1943 12 December 1943 Transferred to West Germany as Scheer 1958. Sold for breaking up 17 March 1971.
Hind U39 Denny, Dunbarton 31 August 1942 30 September 1943 11 April 1944 Broken up 10 December 1958.
Mermaid U30 Denny, Dunbarton 8 September 1942 11 November 1943 12 May 1944 Transferred to West Germany as Scharnhorst 5 May 1950. Hulked 1974, and broken up April 1990.
Alacrity U60 Denny, Dunbarton 4 May 1943 1 September 1944 13 April 1945 Broken up 15 September 1956.
Opossum U33 Denny, Dunbarton 28 July 1943 30 November 1944 16 June 1945 Broken up 26 April 1960.
Modeste U42 Chatham Dockyard 15 February 1943 29 January 1944 3 September 1945 Broken up 11 March 1961.
Nereide U64 Chatham Dockyard 15 February 1943 29 January 1944 6 May 1946 Broken up 18 May 1958.
Nonsuch U54 Portsmouth Dockyard, later moved to Chatham Dockyard 26 February 1945 Cancelled 15 October 1945.
Nymphe U84 Portsmouth Dockyard, later moved to Chatham Dockyard 26 February 1945 Cancelled 15 October 1945.
Name Pennant Builder Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
Kistna U46 Yarrow, Scotstoun 14 July 1942 22 April 1943 26 August 1943 Renamed INS Krishna 1968. Paid off at end 1981 and broken up.
Cauvery U10 Yarrow, Scotstoun 28 October 1942 15 June 1943 21 October 1943 Renamed INS Kaveri 1968. Sold 1979.

Losses, In World War II.

  • Ibis was sunk by Italian torpedo bombers off Algiers on 10 November 1942
  • Woodpecker was seriously damaged by an acoustic homing torpedo fired by U-256 on 20 February 1944 whilst escorting convoy ON-224. The ship sank a week later on 27 February whilst under tow during an Atlantic storm.
  • Kite was sunk by U-344 on 21 August 1944 whilst the ship was escorting aircraft carriers covering the Arctic convoy JW-59.
  • Lark was damaged beyond repair by U-968 on 17 February 1945
  • Lapwing was sunk by U-968 on 20 March 1945 just outside Murmansk, USSR.

The Black Swan and Modified Black Swan were involved in the sinking of 32 U-Boats.


 

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