Cornwallis 1939
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Cornwallis (ex-Lychnis) | T56 | Hamilton, Glasgow, UK | 1917 | 21.8.1917 | 11/1917 // 9.1921 | sold 1946 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
1250 |
|
Displacement full, t |
1450 |
|
Length, m |
81.7 |
|
Breadth, m |
10.2 |
|
Draught, m |
3.36 |
|
No of shafts |
1 |
|
Machinery |
1 VTE, 2 cylindrical boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
2500 |
|
Max speed, kts |
17.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 130 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 2000(15) |
|
Armament |
2 x 1 - 102/40 QF Mk IV or 2 x 1 - 102/44 BL Mk IX or 2 x 1 - 102/45 BL Mk X, 1 x 1 - 47/40 3pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 2 DCT, 1 DCR |
|
Complement |
92 |
Project history: A further order was placed for six sloops in January 1916, but it was hoped to improve their anti-submarine capabilities by disguising them as small merchant ships, with armament concealed. The earlier 'Flower' class ships had proved useful escorts but their unmistakable silhouette always betrayed them as warships, and it was hoped that a more mercantile silhouette would tempt U-boats to stay on the surface long enough for the sloops to get within gun-range. Six more were ordered in December. The builders were given a free hand to model the sloops on similar-sized ships which they had already built. This frequently resulted in unsuitable accommodation and internal arrangements, but was considered a necessary evil to make the disguise effective. Although not strictly Q-ships, in the sense that they were built as commissioned warships, they were incorporated into the decoy organisation, with 'Q' numbers and false identities (shown in the table). Their main problems were that when viewed from bow or quarter their lines were much too fine for a mercantile hull, and if engaged by a U-boat their crews were too large to fake an 'abandon ship' routine.
Modernizations: mid-1930s: - 1 x 1 - 47/40; + 2 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II
Naval service: No significant events.
© Ivan Gogin, 2015