Q and R class destroyer
Encyclopedia
- For the R class of destroyers built between 1916 and 1917, see R class destroyer (1916)R class destroyer (1916)The first R class were a class of 62 destroyers built between 1916 and 1917 for the Royal Navy. They were an improvement, specifically in the area of fuel economy, of the earlier M-class destroyers...
The Q and R 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 sixteen War Emergency Programme
War Emergency Programme destroyers
The War Emergency Programme destroyers were 112 destroyers built for the British Royal Navy during World War II. They were based on the hull and machinery of the earlier J, K and N class destroyer. Due to supply problems and the persistent failure by the Royal Navy to develop a suitable...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s ordered for the 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...
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...
in 1940 as the 3rd and 4th Emergency Flotilla. They served as 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...
escorts during 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...
. Three Q class ships were transferred to the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
upon completion, with two further ships being handed over in 1945. Roebuck had the dubious honour of being launched prematurely by an air raid at Scotts shipyard in Greenock
Greenock
Greenock 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...
, her partially complete hulk lying submerged in the dockyard for 9 months before it was salvaged and completed.
Design
The Q and R class were repeats of the preceding O and P classO and P class destroyer
The O and P class was a class of destroyers of the British Royal Navy. Ordered in 1939, they were the first ships in the War Emergency Programme, also known as the 1st and 2nd Emergency Flotilla, respectively...
, but reverted to the larger J, K and N class
J, K and N class destroyer
The J, K and N class was a class of 24 destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo armament, after the Tribal class that emphasised guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three flotillas or groups, eight each of ships with...
hull to allow for the inevitable growth in topweight. As they had fewer main guns than the J, K and Ns, some magazine space was replaced by fuel bunkers, allowing for some 4675 nautical miles (8,658.1 km) to be made at 20 knots (39.2 km/h), over the 3700 nmi (6,852.4 km) of the their ancestors. Like the O and Ps, they were armed with what weapons were available; 4.7 inch (119 mm) guns on single mountings that allowed for only 40° elevation - therefore do not compare favourably on paper with many contemporaries. These ships used the 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...
HA Fire Control Computer.
In the Q class, Y gun could be removed, allowing for the carriage of additional depth charges and projectors, or the carriage of minesweeps
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
.
The R class were repeats of the Qs, except that the officers' accommodation was moved from its traditional location right aft to the more accessible location amidships. This facilitated the change in watchkeepers in inclement weather; the main deck of a destroyer would often be entirely awash in heavy seas, and catwalks were not fitted to connect fore and aft until the V class
U and V class destroyer
The U and V class was a class of sixteen destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1942–1943. They were constructed in two flotillas, each with names beginning with "U-" or "V-"...
ordered in 1941.
In surviving ships, the single 20 mm Oerlikon guns in the bridge wings were later replaced by hydraulically-operated Mark V twin mountings. Rotherham, Raider and Rocket later had the Oerlikons and searchlight amidships replaced by four single QF 40 mm Bofors
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
. The searchlight was later reinstated at the cost of depth charge stowage. Raider only had an additional pair of twin Mark V Oerlikon mounts added on the after shelter deck. Radar Type 290 was replaced by Type 291, and later by Type 293 in some ships. The centimetric wavelength Type 272 set was added on a platform between the torpedo tubes in Rotherham, Racehorse, Rapid, Raider and Roebuck, or at the foremast truck in other ships. Racehorse, Raider, Rapid, Redoubt and Relentless had Huff-Duff
Huff-Duff
High-frequency direction finding, usually known by its abbreviation HF/DF is the common name for a type of radio direction finding employed especially during the two World Wars....
(High-frequency Direction-finder) added on a lattice mainmast.
Q class
- Queenborough, built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, 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:...
, to Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
as HMAS QueenboroughHMAS Queenborough (G30)HMAS Queenborough was a Q class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy ....
1945, later converted to Type 15 frigateType 15 frigateThe Type 15 frigate was a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were conversions based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers built to the standard War Emergency Programme "utility" design.-History:...
, sold for scrapping 1975 - Quadrant, built by Hawthorn Leslie & Company, HebburnHebburnHebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
, to Australia as HMAS QuadrantHMAS Quadrant (G11)HMAS Quadrant , named for the navigational instrument, was a Q class destroyer operated by the Royal Navy as HMS Quadrant during World War II, and the Royal Australian Navy from 1945 to 1957...
1945, later converted to Type 15 frigate, sold for scrapping 1962 - QuailHMS Quail (G45)HMS Quail was a Q class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War but her career lasted less than a year before she was damaged by a mine and withdrawn from active service.-Construction and commissioning:...
, built by Hawthorn Leslie, mined off BariBariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
1943-11-15, foundered under tow en route for TarantoTarantoTaranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
1944-06-18 - QualityHMS Quality (G62)HMS Quality was a Q class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Entering service in 1942, the destroyer served in several theatres of World War II. Following the war's conclusion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy , commissioning as HMAS Quality in late 1945...
, built by Swan Hunter, to Australia as HMAS Quality 1942, sold for scrapping 1958 - QuentinHMS Quentin (G78)HMS Quentin was a Q class destroyer laid down by J. Samuel White and Company, Limited, at Cowes on the Isle of Wight on 25 September 1940, launched on 5 November 1941 and commissioned on 15 April 1942...
, built by 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...
, torpedoed and sunk by Italian aircraft off Galita Island 1942-12-02 - Quiberon, built by White, to Australia as HMAS QuiberonHMAS Quiberon (G81)HMAS Quiberon was a Q class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Although built for the Royal Navy and remaining British property until 1950, Quiberon was one of two Q class destroyers commissioned into the RAN during World War II...
1942, later converted to Type 15 frigate, sold for scrapping 1972 - Quickmatch, built by White, to Australia as HMAS QuickmatchHMAS Quickmatch (G92)HMAS Quickmatch , named for the quick-match, a fast burning match used for lighting cannon, was a Q class destroyer operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Although commissioned into the RAN in 1942, the ship was initially the property of the Royal Navy. Quickmatch served with both the British...
1942, later converted to Type 15 frigate, sold for scrapping 1972 - QuilliamHMS Quilliam (G09)HMS Quilliam was a Q class destroyer serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, and the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1946 to 1957.-Construction:The ship was laid down by R. and W...
*, built by Swan Hunter, to Royal Netherlands NavyRoyal Netherlands NavyThe Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
as HNLMS Banckert 1945, sold for scrapping 1957
Flotilla leader
A flotilla leader was a warship suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer...
R class
- RotherhamHMS Rotherham (H09)HMS Rotherham was a R-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy during the Second World War, named after Captain Edward Rotheram, who commanded during at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Rotherham was completed in 1942 and equipped as a flotilla leader, having slightly reduced armament to allow...
*, built by 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...
, to Indian NavyIndian NavyThe Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
as Rajput 1949 - RacehorseHMS Racehorse (H11)HMS Racehorse was an R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank and launched in 1942. She was broken up in 1949....
, built by John Brown, sold for scrapping 1949 - RaiderHMS Raider (H15)HMS Raider was an R or Rotherham class destroyer adopted by Romford during World War II. The town council still has all of the relevant documents regarding the adoption. The local Sea Cadet Unit was renamed T S Raider....
, built by Cammell Laird & 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...
, to India as Rana 1949 - RapidHMS Rapid (H32)HMS Rapid was an R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was part of Force 68, serving in the Indian Ocean, and later the Pacific. In one operation she was damaged by fire from a shore battery, with 11 killed and 23 wounded. She was towed to Akyab for...
, built by Cammell Laird, converted to Type 15 frigate 1953, expended as target 3 September 1981 - RedoubtHMS Redoubt (H41)HMS Redoubt was an R class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built by Clydebank and launched in 1942. She served during the Second World War....
, built by John Brown, to India as Ranjit 1949 - RelentlessHMS Relentless (H85)HMS Relentless was an R-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was later converted into a Type 15 fast anti-submarine frigate, with the new pennant number F185....
, built by John Brown, converted to Type 15 frigate 1951, sold for scrapping 1971 - RocketHMS Rocket (H92)HMS Rocket was an R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that saw service during Second World War. Built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock, Scotland, she was launched in October 1942 and commissioned in August 1943....
, built by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, 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...
, converted to Type 15 frigate 1951, sold for scrapping 1967 - RoebuckHMS Roebuck (H95)HMS Roebuck was an R-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II. She was the fifteenth ship to carry this traditional ship name, after a small deer native to the British Isles, which was used as far back as the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.-Construction:Ordered in...
, built by Scotts, converted to Type 15 frigate 1953, sold for scrapping 1968
See also
- Type 15 frigateType 15 frigateThe Type 15 frigate was a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were conversions based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers built to the standard War Emergency Programme "utility" design.-History:...
- most surviving Q and R class ships were given this conversion post-war.