C-class destroyer (1943)


The C class was a class of 32 destroyers of the Royal Navy that were launched from 1943 to 1945. The class was built in four flotillas of 8 vessels, the "Ca", "Ch", "Co" and "Cr" groups or sub-classes, ordered as the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Emergency Flotillas respectively. The sub-class names are derived from the initial 2 letters of the member ships' names, although the "Ca" class were originally ordered with a heterogeneous mix of traditional destroyer names. A fifth flotilla, the "Ce" or 15th Emergency Flotilla, was planned but were cancelled in favour of the s after only the first two ships had been ordered. The pennant numbers were all altered from "R" superior to "D" superior at the close of World War II; this involved some renumbering to avoid duplications.

Design

They were built as part of the War Emergency Programme, based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war J class, incorporating whatever advances in armament and naval radar were available at the time. Some of the class were completed in time for wartime service. All ships used the Fuze Keeping Clock High Angle Fire Control Computer.
The "Ca" flotilla were generally repeats of the preceding Z class, and as such had a main gun armament of four QF Mk IV guns on Mk V mounts, which could elevate to 55 degrees to give an anti-aircraft capability. Close-in anti-aircraft armament generally consisted of two 40mm Bofors guns in a twin stabilized Hazemayer mount, supplemented by four single 2-pounder "pom-pom" anti aircraft guns on power operated mounts. Caprice differed in having a quadruple 2-pounder "pom-pom" instead of the Hazemayer Bofors mount, while Cassandra had eight Oerlikon 20 mm cannon instead of the single pom-poms. Torpedo armament consisted of eight torpedoes in two quadruple mounts, while 70 depth charges could be carried.
The succeeding "Ch", "Co" and "Cr" flotillas were fitted with the new Mk VI HA/LA Director instead of the Mk I Type K director of the Z and Ca classes, while remote power control gunlaying equipment was fitted. The additional weight of the new fire control equipment and the powered mountings for the 4.5 inch guns meant that only one quadruple torpedo mount was fitted, and the depth charge armament was reduced to 35 depth charges. Most of the ships were fitted with a single Hazemayer Bofors mount, although some of the later ships instead had the lighter and simpler Mk V twin Bofors mount. This was normally supplemented by two power operated single pom-pom mounts and two 20 mm Oerlikon cannon. They also introduced the all-welded hull into Royal Navy destroyer construction, beginning in Contest, with the "Cr" flotilla all being of all-welded construction. Late delivery of the Mk VI directors delayed completion such that all but one of the "Ch"s, "Co"s or "Cr"s entered service after the end of the Second World War. Only Comet was commissioned before VJ Day, in June 1945, albeit too late to see action.
Caprice was the last destroyer built for the Royal Navy to be fitted with the ubiquitous quadruple QF 2 pounder "pom-pom" mounting Mark VII.
The "Ca" flotilla were reconstructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s to be modernised for anti-submarine warfare and to serve as fast fleet escorts. One bank of torpedo tubes and one 4.5 in gun was removed, allowing two Squid triple-barreled anti-submarine mortars to be fitted, while the ships' obsolete gun Mk I Type K director was replaced by a modern Mk 6M director as fitted to Royal Navy frigates, and the remaining 4.5 in guns fitted with RPC. Close in anti-aircraft armament was standardised as a single Mk V twin and two single 40 mm Bofors mounts. The ships were also fitted with new bridges; the post-refit bridge differed between the first four conversions, with open bridges and the later four which were given frigate-type enclosed bridges.
The remaining "Ch", "Co" and Cr" ships in the Royal Navy were given a less extensive modernisation, with one 4.5 in gun being replaced by twin Squids, modified fire control and a close in anti aircraft armament of 1 twin and four single Bofors guns. Chieftain, Chaplet and Comet were fitted as minelayers.

Engineering

The class were all fitted with two Admiralty 3-drum boilers with a pressure of at. All had Parsons single-reduction geared turbines, generating at 350 RPM, and driving the two shafts to produce a maximum of . All were engined by their builders except Cossack and Constance, which were engined by Parsons. Their bunkers could hold 615 tons of oil fuel, giving them a radius of at and at.

Ships

* = flotilla leaders

"Ca" (or 11th Emergency) Flotilla

This flotilla was authorised under the 1941 Programme. The first pair was ordered from Yarrow on 16 February 1942; the other six were ordered on 24 March, a pair each from John Brown, Scotts and Cammell Laird. However, on 12 August 1942 the contract for the last pair was moved from Cammell Laird to White. Their originally-allocated names were altered to new names beginning with "Ca-" in November 1942. The John Brown pair - Caesar and Cavendish - were fitted as Leaders.
On completion they formed the 6th Destroyer Flotilla for service in the Home Fleet. At the end of the war in Europe the flotilla was transferred to the East Indies Fleet and the ships arrived on station between August and November 1945, too late to see service against Japan. They remained in the Indian Ocean until May 1946 when they returned home and paid off into operational reserve.
NamePennantBuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedFate
R01
later D01		Yarrow, Scotstoun28 September 194216 September 19435 April 1944Modernised by Yarrow 1959. Paid off March 1973.
Scrapped 1979 at Queenborough.
R62
later D10		Yarrow, Scotstoun3 January 194329 November 194328 July 1944Modernised by Yarrow 1960. Paid off January 1966.
Scrapped at Inverkeithing in 1967.
* R07
later D07		John Brown, Clydebank3 April 194314 February 19445 October 1944Modernised 1957-60 at Rosyth. Paid off June 1965.
Scrapped 1967 at Blyth.
* R15
later D15		John Brown, Clydebank19 May 194312 April 194413 December 1944Modernised 1956. Laid up 1964.
Scrapped 1967 at Blyth.
R85
later D85		Scotts, Greenock14 August 194210 December 194314 July 1944
by John Brown		Modernised 1963. Paid off December 1968.
Scrapped 1971 at Briton Ferry.
R30
later D30		Scotts, Greenock26 November 194228 March 19446 November 1944Modernised August 1955 as Training Ship. Paid off March 1963.
Scrapped 1967 at Inverkeithing.
R73
later D73		White, Cowes28 February 19437 April 194422 November 1944Modernised 1957. Paid off July 1972.
Sold October 1977 to be preserved as a museum ship,
since 1999 preserved at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent.
R25
later D25		White, Cowes12 May 194325 July 194420 February 1945Modernised 1956. Paid off February 1969.
Scrapped 1970 at Newport.

"Ch" (or 12th Emergency) Flotilla

Six destroyers, the first of 26 'Intermediate' destroyers to be authorised under the 1942 Programme, were ordered on 24 July 1942, a pair each from Thornycroft, Scotts and Alexander Stephen. The fourth pair was originally intended to be ordered from Vickers Armstrongs, Walker-on-Tyne, but instead were ordered from Denny on 30 July. The Chequers and Childers were fitted as Leaders.
NamePennantBuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedFate
R52Thornycroft, Woolston29 April 194318 July 194424 August 1945Laid up 1961. Sold for scrapping 1965.
R29Thornycroft, Woolston9 July 194330 November 194419 November 1945Transferred to Pakistan Navy as Shah Jehan 16 December 1958, irreparably damaged by Indian Navy warships off Karachi 4 December 1971 and scrapped as a result
*R61Scotts, Greenock4 May 194330 October 194428 September 1945Laid up 1964, scrapped 1966.
R36Scotts, Greenock27 June 194326 February 19457 March 1946Scrapped 1961.
R51Alex. Stephen, Linthouse18 March 194323 February 194423 August 1945Accommodation ship at Rosyth, scrapped 1969.
R90Alex. Stephen, Linthouse27 April 19432 May 194411 December 1945Harbour training ship at Rosyth 1960. Sold for scrapping 1962.
*R91Denny, Dumbarton27 November 194327 February 194519 December 1945Laid up 1958. Sold for scrapping 1963.
R21Denny, Dumbarton27 November 194322 June 194513 May 1946Transferred to Pakistan Navy on 29 June 1954 as Taimur, scrapped 1961.

"Co" (or 13th Emergency) Flotilla

The first four of these destroyers were ordered in August 1942 - Comus and Concord on 7th, Contest on 12th and Consort on 14th. The remaining four destroyers were ordered on 12 September; Constance and Cossack were fitted as Leaders.
NamePennantBuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedFate
R43Thornycroft21 August 194314 March 19458 July 1946Sold for scrapping 1958.
R63Thornycroft18 November 194314 May 194520 December 1946Harbour Training Ship Rosyth. Sold for scrapping 1962.
R12 White1 November 194316 December 19449 November 1945Sold for scrapping 1960
R76Stephen26 May 194319 October 194419 March 1946Sold for scrapping 1961
R34Yarrow11 March 19437 March 194429 September 1945Paid off 1958. Sold for scrapping 1964.
R26Yarrow14 June 194322 June 19446 June 1945Paid off 1958. Sold for scrapping 1962.
*R71Vickers Armstrongs, Walker18 March 194322 August 194431 December 1945Sold for scrapping 1956.
*R57Vickers Armstrongs, Walker18 March 194310 May 19444 September 1945Sold for scrapping 1961.

"Cr" (or 14th Emergency) Flotilla

All eight destroyers were ordered on 12 September 1942, two each from John Brown, Yarrow, White and Scotts; the John Brown pair - Crescent and Crusader - were fitted as Leaders.
NamePennantBuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedFate
*R16John Brown16 August 194320 July 194421 August 1945To Canada 1945, extensive modernisation to anti-submarine Destroyer Escort 1952–56. Scrapped 1971.
*R20John Brown15 November 19435 October 194426 November 1945To Canada 1945, Scrapped 1964.
R20Yarrow26 October 194319 August 194430 November 1945To Norway as 1945, sold for scrapping 1961.
R38Yarrow13 January 194412 February 19456 February 1946To Norway as 1945, scrapped 1967.
R68White1 February 194423 June 194510 July 1946To Pakistan as Jahangir 18 March 1958, scrapped 1982.
R82White3 August 194422 November 194514 October 1946To Pakistan as Alamgir 20 June 1958, scrapped 1982.
R35Scott's24 November 19436 August 194516 September 1946To Norway as 1946, scrapped 1967.
R46Scott's16 January 194419 December 194517 April 1947To Norway as 1945, scrapped 1968.

"Ce" (or 15th Emergency) Flotilla

Two ships of this putative flotilla, the last of the 26 "Intermediate"-type destroyers authorised under the 1942 Programme, were ordered on 3 February 1942 from White. These two ships were to be named Centaur and Celt. However, with the decision to introduce a fresh design of Intermediate destroyer, the White orders were amended to the new design and the names of the two ships were altered to Tomahawk and Sword respectively. Tomahawk was subsequently renamed again, becoming Scorpion, while Sword was finally cancelled on 15 October 1945.

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