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fighting ships of the world

ROYAL NAVY (UNITED KINGDOM)

TORPEDO SHIPS

"TRIBAL" destroyers (AFRIDI)

Eskimo 1939

Zulu 1941

Eskimo 1942

Sikh 1942

       Athabascan 1943

Huron 1944

Nubian 1945

   

Displacement standard, t	1959 Canadian: 1927
Displacement full, t	2519 (later 2710) Canadian: 2745
Length, m	108.4 pp 114.9 oa
Breadth, m	11.1 Canadian: 11.4
Draught, m	3.96 (later 4.16)
No of shafts	2
Machinery	Parsons geared steam turbines, 3 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	44000
Max speed, kn	36.25 - 36.5
Fuel, t	oil 505 - 516
Endurance, nm(kts)	5700(15)
Armament	British ships: 4 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 1 DCR (30 DC) Arunta, Waramunga: 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 2 DCR (30 DC) Bataan: 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 6 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 2 DCR (46 DC) Iroquois: 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 1 DCR (30 DC) Athabaskan (I): 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 1 DCR (30 DC) Huron, Haida: 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 1 x 4 - 40/39 pompom, 6 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 1 DCR (30 DC) Athabaskan (II), Cayuga: 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 1 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 4 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 2 DCR (46 DC) Micmac, Nootka: 4 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA, 2 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon, 1 x 4 - 533 TT
Sensors	presumably Arunta, Warramunga, Iroquois, Athabscan (I): type 272, 285, 291 radars, sonars presumably Huron, Haida: type 277, 285, 291 radars, sonars presumably Bataan: type 272, 275, 291 radars, sonars presumably Micmac, Nootka: type 268, 275, 277, 282, 291 radars, sonars presumably Cayuga, Athabascan (II): type 262, 268, 275, 277, 291 radars, sonars
Sensors	type 127 sonar
Complement	190 - 250

Ship project history: "Tribal" class ships became the answer of Britain to occurrence in navies of probable opponents of large destroyers appreciable exceeding on armament standard British destroyers with their four 120mm guns. A starting point in designing of the new ship began requirement of Admiralty to place powerful armament including ten 120mm guns that should ensure the superiority over new foreign destroyers, such as Japanese Fubuki (3x2 127mm guns and 3х3 TT). Besides it, the wish to ensure leaders of "V" class (an initial designation of these ships) the strengthened air defence armament including newest multi-barrelled 40-mm pompoms expressed. Thus especially made a reservation, that the ships should not be so large that require armour protection, but to have the sufficient dimensions for providing of good seaworthiness.

By basic design working out it has appeared what to fulfil all requirements within the limits of the resolved displacement (1850t was an upper limit for leaders according to decisions of the London conference) it is impossible, and after considering of numerous variants were stopped on the design with 8 120mm guns, two quadruple 40mm pompoms (one was excluded from the specification already after the bulding beginning) and 1 quadruple TT (the truth, with a power drive). It was supposed, that the ships of this class will be brought together in a flotilla of seven-shipboard structure, and under the 1935 program building of such flotilla was provided, but this idea have soon refused, having ordered next year not 7, but 9 ships.

Structurally, except transition to heavier twin main gun mounts, application of yacht stem instead of straight one (as planed on sketch design  phases on "Tribal") and using on 30 % of more powerful machinery, "Tribal" essentially did not differ from the predecessors: the same internal arrangement and the same cross-section hull framing system. Last also became the main lack of these in remaining very successful ships.

Dominions also have replenished with "Tribal" class ships. Australian have decided to built them by own strength, but with assistance of British specialists, and machinery have been ordered in Britain. Australian "Tribals" originally differed nothing from an English pre-image. First two ships have ordered in the January, 1939, four more in May of the same year. Order for 3 additional units was cancelled before a war. Already during a building structure of armament of the ships have made the changes dictated by experience of the first months of operations in Europe. Basically they repeated works conducted on British "Tribals": in particular, "X" 120mm mount and 12.7mm MGs were replaced by DP 102mm twin and 20mm Oerlikons. Bataan become operational the last and carried 40mm/56 Boforses instead of Oerlikons.

Decision on a building of "Tribals" was accepted also by Canada in 1940, but not at itself, and in British. In 1940 the order on 4 ships has been given out. During an execution of an order in armament was changed in general repeating accepted on the Australian destroyers. More successful arranging of quadruple pompom became unique significant difference. Already after an end of the war 4 more Canadian "Tribal" class destroyers were completed, built in Canada under a little changed design (4x2 102-mm/45 guns and 40mm Boforses).

Modernizations: summer 1940, Ashanti, Bedouin, Cossack, Eskimo, Maori, Mashona, Matabele, Mohawk, Nubian, Punjabi, Sikh, Somali, Tartar, Zulu: - 1 x 2 - 120/45; + 1 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI HA

early 1941, Ashanti, Bedouin, Cossack, Eskimo, Maori, Mashona, Matabele, Mohawk, Nubian, Punjabi, Somali, Tartar: + 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon

early 1941, Sikh, Zulu: + 2 x 1 - 40/39 pompom

1942, Ashanti, Bedouin, Eskimo, Nubian, Punjabi, Sikh, Somali, Tartar, Zulu: - 2 x 4 - 12.7/62; + 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon, DC stowage rose up to 46 pcs.

1943 - 1944, Ashanti, Eskimo, Tartar: - 2 x 1 - 20/70; + 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon

1943 - 1944, Iroquois: - 6 x 1 - 20/70; + 6 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon

1944, Nubian: + 2 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 2 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon

1944 - 1945, Arunta, Warramunga: - 6 x 1 - 20/70; + 6 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors

1946 - 1951, Iroquois, Huron, Haida: - 3 x 2 - 120/45, 1 x 4 - 40/39, 6 x 2 - 20/70, 2 DCT, 1 DCR, type 275 (or 285) radar; + 3 x 2 - 102/45 QF Mk XVI (Mk 19 mounts), 1 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors Mk5, 2 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk7, 1 x 3 - 305 Squid DCT, Mk 28 radar

1951 - 1955, all survived Canadian ships were modernized as follows:

1953, Arunta; 1954, Warramunga: new lattice mast, superstructure was lengthened. - 1 x 2 - 120/45, 4 x 1 - 40/56, 1 x 4 - 40/39; + 1 x 2 - 40/56 Bofors Mk 5, 1 x 3 - 305 Squid DCT

Naval service: Afridy 3/5/1940 was sunk by German Ju 87 bomber W of Namsus (Norway). Ashanti 17/10/1940 was wrecked by a storm on rocks at Sunderland coast (England), repair lasted till the end of August, 1941. Bedouin 15/6/1942 was badly damaged by 152mm shell from Italian cruisers Eugenio di Savoia Duca degli Abruzzi and Raimondo Montecuccoli S of island Pantelleria, later she was finished by Italian S.79 bomber (torpedo). Cossack 13/4/1940 was seriously damaged by hits of four 127mm shells from German destroyers and as a result of beaching in harbour of Narvik, repaired till August, 1940; 23/10/1941 she was badly damaged by German submarine U563 W of Gibraltar, 27/10/1941 sunk. Eskimo 13/4/1940 was badly damaged by hit of a torpedo from German destroyer Georg Thiele (fore hull part was broken off), repair lasted till September, 1940. Gurkha 9/4/1940 was sunk by German Ju 88 bomber W of Bergen. Maori was sunk by German Ju 88 bomber 12/2/1942 on Malta. Mashona was sunk by German Ju 88 bomber SW of Ireland 28/5/1941. Matabele in the end of May, 1940 was damaged by German aircraft at coast of northern Norway, repair lasted till the middle of August, 1940; she was sunk by German submarine U454 in Barents sea 17/1/1942. Mohawk was torpedoed by Italian destroyer Luca Tarigo 16/4/1941 off cape Bon and finished by gunfire of destroyer Janus. Punjabi was damaged by 127mm shells from German destroyers Giese and Roeder, repaired till June, 1940; she was lost at collision with battleship King George V in Northern Atlantic 1/5/1942. Sikh was sunk by German coastal battery at Tobruk 14/9/1942. Somali was damaged by a torpedo from German submarine U703 S of Iceland 20/9/1942 and foundered during tow 24/9/1942. Zulu was damaged by German Ju 88 bomber at Tobruk and sunk 14/9/1942 at tow. Athabaskan 29/4/1944 was torpedoed by German torpedo boat Т24 N of Ile de Bas (La Manche), blown up and sunk.

    Haida was preserved as memorial in Toronto. Arunta was foundered when towing to Japan for scrap 13/2/1969.

       Tartar 1941

Bataan

 

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© Ivan Gogin, 2008-10