AUSTRALIAN NAVY - AUSTRALIA

Napier 1942

   

Displacement standard, t	1760 - 1773
Displacement full, t	2330 - 2384 (later 2540 - 2555)
Length, m	103.5 pp 108.7 oa
Breadth, m	10.9
Draught, m	4.16 - 4.22 (later 4.34)
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	40000
Max speed, kts	36
Fuel, t	oil 464
Endurance, nm(kts)	5500(15)
Armament	Napier, Nestor, Nizam: 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 2 x 2 - 12.7/62, 1 x 5 -533 TT, 2 DCT, 1 DCR (45 DC) Norman: 3 x 2 - 120/45 QF Mk XII, 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V, 1 x 4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 x 2 - 12.7/62, 1 x 5 - 533 TT, 2 DCT, 1 DCR (45 DC)
Electronic equipment	type 285, type 286/P radars, type 124 sonar
Complement	183 - 218

Project history: Destroyers of "J" class became in many respects landmark ships, having exceeded in this quality even well-known "Tribals". All the subsequent destroyers of Royal Navy (behind a small exception) before occurrence in the end of war of "Battle" class were to some extent modifications of this successful design. Changes concerned basically armament while the hull and machinery remained practically invariable.

Even at designing of "Tribal" class destroyers a number of Admiralty chiefs expressed as against an excessive enlarging, and cost of these ships (one "Tribal" was almost in one and a half time more expensively, than "standard" "I" class destroyer) at too weak torpedo armament. The decision yo return on destroyers of 1936 programme to more balanced gun-torpedo armament at a little smaller displacement and two-boiler-room machinery with one funnel became corollary of it. At early phases of designing it was offered to return to four single 120mm mounts and 2 quadruple TTs, that is actually to simple modified "I" class, but the choice has been made in favour of the design with three twin 120mm mounts (two in a bow and one on an aft superstructure) and 2 quintuple TTs. Similar placing of main artillery has exempted quarterdeck for the anti-submarine and minesweeping equipment and has allowed to outline additional spaces for a flotilla headquarters in an aft superstructure without a ship enlarging as it practised earlier. Therefore since "J" class flotilla leaders had the same dimensions as destroyers, and the number of the ships of a flotilla was shrank from 9 to 8. The electrical drive on new ships was more widely applied. Transition to a longitudinal hull framing system became the important innovation.

The order for building of eight ships of "J" class was given in March, 1937, a month later 8 units of "K" class of 1937 programme have ordered. The decision on building of 8 more destroyers of this type ("N" class) have accepted in 1939, when in connection with growth of the sizes and costs of the ships of "L" and "M" classes of 1937 and 1939 programmes 1937 and 1939 a protraction of terms of their availability begun to show. The similar course has appeared true, and majority of destroyers of "N" class of 1939 programme have become operational earlier than ships of "L" and "M" classes.

Modernizations: 1942, Norman: - 1 x 1 - 102/45, 2 x 4 - 12.7/62, 2 x 2 - 12.7/62; + 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 2 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 1 x 5 - 533 TT

1942, Napier, Nestor, Nizam: - 1 x 1 - 102/45, 2 x 1 - 20/70, 2 x 2 - 12.7/62; + 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV, 1 x 5 - 533 TT

1943 - 1944, almost all survived: - type 286/P radar; + 2 DCT, 1 DCR (DC stowage was 45 pcs), type 271 or type 293, type 291 radars

1945, Nizam: - 1 x 5 - 533 TT; + 1 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors Mk III

Naval service: Nestor was sunk by Italian Ju 87 bomber in East Mediterranean 15.6.1942.

© Ivan Gogin, 2015