HMS Termagant (R89)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Termagant.

HMS Termagant at anchor, c. 1943 (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Termagant
Ordered14 March 1941
BuilderWilliam Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton
Laid down25 November 1941
Launched22 March 1943
Commissioned8 October 1943
IdentificationPennant number: R89 (later F189)
Motto'Untameable'
Honours and
awards
FateArrived for scrapping on 5 November 1965
BadgeOn a field White, a shrew mouse proper.
General characteristics as T–class
Class and typeT-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,710 long tons (1,737 t) – 1,730 long tons (1,758 t) (standard nominal)
  • 1,780 long tons (1,809 t) – 1,810 long tons (1,839 t) (actual)
  • 2,505 long tons (2,545 t) – 2,545 long tons (2,586 t) (deep load)
Length
  • 339 ft 6 in (103.48 m) pp
  • 362 ft 9 in (110.57 m) oa
Beam35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
Draught14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines
  • 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • 40,000 shp (30,000 kW)
Speed36.75 knots (42.29 mph; 68.06 km/h)
Complement180-225
Armament
  • 4 ×
    4.7-inch (120-mm) QF Mk IX guns
    (4×1)
  • 2 ×
    40mm Bofors
    (1x2)
  • 8 × 20 mm guns anti-aircraft guns
  • 8 ×
    21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
    (2×4)
General characteristics as Type 16
Class and typeType 16 frigate
Displacement
  • 1,800 long tons (1,800 t) standard
  • 2,300 long tons (2,300 t) full load
Length362 ft 9 in (110.57 m) o/a
Beam37 ft 9 in (11.51 m)
Draught14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • Steam turbines, 40,000 shp
  • 2 shafts
Speed32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h) full load
Complement175
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Type 293Q target indication Radar
  • Type 974 navigation Radar
  • Type 1010 Cossor Mark 10 IFF
  • Type 146B search Sonar
  • Type 147 depth finder Sonar
  • Type 162 target classification Sonar
  • Type 174 attack Sonar
Armament
  • 1 × twin 4 in gun Mark 19
  • 1 × twin 40 mm Bofors gun Mk.5
  • 5 × single 40 mm Bofors gun Mk.9
  • 2 × Squid A/S mortar
  • 1 × quad 21 in (533 mm) tubes for Mk.9 torpedoes

HMS Termagant was a

Second World War. She was built by William Denny and Brothers, of Dumbarton
and launched on 22 March 1943. She was scrapped in 1965.

Design and construction

The British Admiralty ordered the eight destroyers of the T-class on 14 March 1941 as the 6th Emergency Flotilla.[1] The T-class were War Emergency Programme destroyers, intended for general duties, including use as anti-submarine escort, and were to be suitable for mass-production. They were based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war J-class destroyers, but with a lighter armament (effectively whatever armament was available) in order to speed production.[2][3] The T-class closely resembled the preceding S-class, but unlike the S-class, were not fitted for operations in the Arctic.[4]

The T-class were 362 feet 9 inches (110.57 m)

draught of 10 feet 0 inches (3.05 m) mean and 14 feet 3 inches (4.34 m) full load.[5][6] Displacement was 1,802 long tons (1,831 t) standard and 2,530 long tons (2,570 t) full load.[6] Two Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers supplied steam at 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa) and 630 °F (332 °C) to two sets of Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines, which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery was rated at 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW) giving a maximum speed of 36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h) and 32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h) at full load. 615 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of 4,675 nautical miles (5,380 mi; 8,658 km) at 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h).[6]

The ship had a main gun armament of four

21 inch (533 mm) torpedoes were fitted, while the ship had an depth charge outfit of four depth charge mortars and two racks, with a total of 70 charges carried.[6] She was fitted with an extra 40-mm Bofors gun while operating in the Mediterranean in 1944, and later with another Bofors gun when deployed to the Pacific.[10]

Termagant was fitted with a Type 272 surface warning

foremast, together with a Type 291 air warning radar on a pole mast aft. A Type 285 fire control radar integrated with the ship's high-angle gun director.[6] She had a crew of 179 officers and other ranks.[6]

Termagant was laid down at Denny's Dumbarton shipyard on 25 November 1941 and was launched on 22 March 1943. She was completed on 18 October 1943, and assigned the Pennant number R89.[11]

Type 16 conversion

After the end of the Second World War and as the Cold War started, the Royal Navy found itself with a shortage of fast anti-submarine escorts capable of dealing with modern Soviet diesel-electric submarines, with existing sloops and frigates too slow. At the same time, the relatively recent War Emergency destroyers, with their low-angle guns and basic fire control systems, were considered unsuitable for modern warfare, so it was decided to convert these obsolete destroyers into fast escorts, acting as a stop-gap solution until new-build ships, such as the Type 12 frigates could be built in sufficient numbers. The Type 16 frigate was a simple "second-rate" conversion, less capable than the "first-rate" Type 15, but cheaper and quicker to convert.[12][13]

The Type 16 conversion involved removing most of the ship's armament and sensors, while retaining the ship's superstructure. Gun armament consisted of a twin 4-inch (102 mm) mount forward of the bridge, with a close-in anti-aircraft armament of seven 40-mm Bofors guns (1 twin and 5 single mounts). Two Squid anti-submarine mortars provided the ship's primary anti-submarine armament, while one quadruple torpedo-tube mount was retained to give a limited anti-surface capability (or to launch homing anti-submarine torpedoes if available). Type 293Q surface/air-search radar was fitted on the mainmast, with Type 274 navigation radar fitted below. Sonar consisted of Type 146B search sonar, Type 147P depth-finding sonar, together with Type 162 sonar for detecting targets on the sea bottom and Type 174 for control of the Squid mortars.[14][15][16]

Termagant was converted by Grayson Rollo at Birkenhead from August 1951 to April 1953.[17]

Service

Second World War

After working up at

Eastern Fleet.[17]

On the night of 12/13 February 1944, Termagant and sister ship Troubridge shelled Vela Luka in Croatia and on 6/7 April bombarded Bar, Montenegro.[17] On 19 May, the German submarine U-453 attacked a convoy off the heel of Italy, sinking the merchant ship Fort Missanabie. Termagant and the destroyers Tenacious and Liddesdale were ordered to hunt the U-boat, making contact on 20 May and carrying out a series of depth charge attacks until U-453 was forced to the surface early in the morning on 21 May, and was sunk by gunfire from the three destroyers.[19][20][21] On 15 August 1944, Termagant took part in Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of Southern France, providing fire support for the landings.[22][23] She remained on duty off the South of France until 28 August.[17]

In September 1944, Germany started to evacuate its troops from islands in the

Gulf of Salonica, with the two destroyers sinking the German torpedo boat TA37, the subchaser UJ210 and the harbour patrol boat GK32.[25][26] On 19 October Termagant and Tuscan intercepted and sank the German torpedo boat TA18 (formerly the Italian Solferino) off Volos.[25][27]

On 1 November 1944, with major operations in the Aegean ended, Termagant set out for Britain, arriving at

Okinawa campaign.[28] On 14–15 June, Termagant formed part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Implacable for Operation Inmate, an attack on the Japanese base at Truk Atoll intended to provide combat experience for Implacable's crew ahead of operations off Japan.[29][30] Termagant again supported the British carrier fleet during operations against Japan in July 1945, and remained on station into August that year, and was present at the signing of the Surrender of Japan in Tokyo Bay on 2 September.[17][31]

Postwar

Between 1946 and 1951 Termagant was held in reserve at

Queen Elizabeth II.[35]

On 26 September 1957 Termagant returned to the reserve at

Type 14 frigate Blackwood in the 3rd Submarine Flotilla. She re-commissioning briefly in 1958 for trials.[36]

Decommissioning and disposal

After decommissioning for the last time Termagant was held in reserve at

Lisahally between 1961 and 1965. She was then sold for scrapping in 1965 to Arnott Young, Dalmuir, arriving there on 5 November 1965.[36]

References

  1. ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 90–91, 327–328
  2. ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 53–55, 86–87
  3. ^ Whitley 2000, pp. 124–127
  4. ^ a b Whitley 2000, p. 131
  5. ^ Whitley 2000, pp. 129, 131
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Lenton 1970, p. 23
  7. ^ Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, pp. 42–43
  8. ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 94–95
  9. ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 98–99
  10. ^ Friedman 2008, p. 99
  11. ^ Friedman 2008, p. 327
  12. ^ Gardiner & Chumbley 1995, pp. 512–513
  13. ^ Marriott 1983, pp. 33, 41
  14. ^ Friedman 2008, pp. 222–223
  15. ^ Marriott 1983, p. 41
  16. ^ Gardiner & Chumbley 1995, p. 513
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k English 2008, p. 75
  18. ^ Ruegg & Hague 1993, p. 56
  19. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 271
  20. ^ Blair 2000, p. 526
  21. ^ Kemp 1997, p. 191
  22. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 297
  23. ^ Winser 2002, p. 119
  24. ^ Roskill 1961, pp. 113–115
  25. ^ a b Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 305
  26. ^ O'Hara 2011, Action in the Gulf of Salonika, 7 October 1944
  27. ^ O'Hara 2011, Action off Skíathos, 19 October 1944
  28. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 352
  29. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 357
  30. ^ Hobbs 2017, pp. 200–210
  31. ^ Hobbs 2017, pp. 260, 288, 297
  32. ^ Critchley 1982, p. 62
  33. ^ "News in Brief: Fire in Destroyer". The Times. No. 52562. 5 March 1953. p. 4.
  34. ^ "Warship's Engine Room Flooded". The Times. No. 52569. 13 March 1953. p. 8.
  35. ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
  36. ^ a b English 2008, p. 76

Publications

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