HMS Sikh (F82)

Coordinates: 32°5′52″N 24°0′0″E / 32.09778°N 24.00000°E / 32.09778; 24.00000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see HMS Sikh.

Sikh underway after completion
History
United Kingdom
NameSikh
Namesake
Sikh
Ordered19 June 1936
BuilderAlexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse
Cost£337,704
Laid down24 September 1936
Launched17 December 1937
Commissioned12 October 1938
IdentificationPennant numbers: L82/F82/G82
MottoSicut leonis: 'Be like the lions'
Honours and
awards
  • Norway 1940
  • Atlantic 1940–41
  • Bismarck Action 1941
  • Cape Bon 1941
  • Libya 1941
  • Malta Convoys 1941–42
  • Sirte 1942
  • Mediterranean 1942
FateSunk, 14 September 1942
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeTribal-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,891
    standard
    )
  • 2,519 long tons (2,559 t) (
    deep load
    )
Length377 ft (114.9 m) (o/a)
Beam36 ft 6 in (11.13 m)
Draught11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)
Installed power
  • 3 ×
    Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • 44,000 
    kW
    )
Propulsion2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range5,700 nmi (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement190
Sensors and
processing systems
ASDIC
Armament
  • 4 × twin
    4.7 in (120 mm) guns
  • 1 × quadruple
    AA guns
  • 2 × quadruple
    anti-aircraft machineguns
  • 1 × quadruple
    torpedo tubes
  • 20 × depth charges, 1 × rack, 2 × throwers

HMS Sikh was a

sinking of Bismarck and the Battle of Cape Bon. In 1942, while participating in a commando
raid, Sikh was sunk by a combination of shore artillery, anti-aircraft guns and aerial bombs.

Description

The Tribals were intended to counter the large destroyers being built abroad and to improve the firepower of the existing destroyer

kW) and gave a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[3] During her sea trials Sikh made 36.3 knots (67.2 km/h; 41.8 mph) from 44,428 shp (33,130 kW) at a displacement of 2,015 long tons (2,047 t).[5] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 5,700 nautical miles (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[4] The ships' complement consisted of 190 officers and ratings, although the flotilla leaders carried an extra 20 officers and men consisting of the Captain (D) and his staff.[6]

The primary armament of the Tribal-class destroyers was eight

Admiralty Fire Control Clock. Anti-aircraft fire for the main guns was controlled by the Rangefinder/Director which sent data to the mechanical Fuze Keeping Clock.[8]

The ships were fitted with a single above-water quadruple mount for

ASDIC, one depth charge rack and two throwers for self-defence, although the throwers were not mounted in all ships;[9] Twenty depth charges was the peacetime allotment, but this increased to 30 during wartime.[10]

Wartime modifications

Heavy losses to German air attack during the

mainmast was reduced to a short pole mast.[12]

Construction and career

Authorized as one of nine Tribal-class destroyers under the 1936 Naval Estimates,

Admiralty.[15] The ship entered service as part of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla
of the Royal Navy.

In 1941, while under the command of Commander Stokes, she took part in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck. The night before Bismarck was sunk, she fired a salvo of four torpedoes and claimed a hit after hearing underwater explosions, but actually there were no hits.

Sikh transferred to the Mediterranean serving as part of

Italian cruisers Alberico da Barbiano and Alberto di Giussano in the Battle of Cape Bon
.

On 4 August 1942, Sikh together with Zulu, Croome and Tetcott sank the German submarine U-372 off Haifa.

On 14 September, Sikh and Zulu landed and then covered

Macchi C.200, and hit by scuttling fire from HMS Croome[17] – 115 men were lost and many more were taken prisoner, the majority of them when the Royal Marine landing craft that had rescued them was captured by an Italian MZ lighter.[18]
Zulu was damaged and sunk by aerial bombing the following day.

References

  1. ^ Lenton, p. 164
  2. ^ English, p. 14
  3. ^ a b Lenton, p. 165
  4. ^ a b English, p. 12
  5. ^ March, p. 323
  6. ^ a b Whitley, p. 99
  7. ^ Hodges, pp. 13–25
  8. ^ Friedman, p. 32
  9. ^ Hodges, pp. 30–31, 40
  10. ^ English, p. 15
  11. ^ Friedman, p. 34; Hodges, pp. 41–42
  12. ^ Whitley, p. 116
  13. ^ Brice, p. 11
  14. ^ Colledge & Warlow, p. 321
  15. ^ English, pp. 13, 16
  16. ^ Mattesini 2013, pp. 114-116. The attribution to German guns was believed by British participants such as Lieutenant Colonel Unwin of the Royal Marines, who was aboard Sikh at the time, and by the historian Peter C. Smith (Smith, pp. vii, 133.), but the Italian historian Francesco Mattesini now argues that the German batteries were not plausibly positioned to have inflicted most of the damage on the British destroyer (Mattesini 2020, pp. 82-84). The coastal defences consisted, from west to east, of the Italian batteria "Belotti" with four 145mm guns of unspecified type, batteria "Tordo" with four 120/50 naval guns, batteria "Dandolo" with a twin-mounted pair of older 120/45 [it] guns of the same calibre, a German battery from Flak-Regiment 46 with six 88mm, positioned at the entrance to the inner harbour, and batteria "Grasso" with three Italian 152/45s. An additional 88mm battery from Flak-Regiment 60 was placed inland in an anti-aircraft role.
  17. ^ Mattesini 2013, pp. 117, 122; Mattsini 2020, pp. 81-82.
  18. ISBN 978-1-84832-245-5
    .

Sources

Further reading

32°5′52″N 24°0′0″E / 32.09778°N 24.00000°E / 32.09778; 24.00000

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