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fighting ships of the world

ROYAL NAVY (UNITED KINGDOM)

TORPEDO SHIPS

"Battle" destroyers, 2nd group (1946 - 1948)

Agincourt 1947

Dunkirk 1963

Agincourt 1963

Data variant	as completed
Displacement standard, t	2380 - 2400
Displacement full, t	3400 - 3420
Length, m	108.2 pp 115.5 oa
Breadth, m	12.3
Draught, m	4.67 deep load
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets Parsons geared steam turbines, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	50000
Max speed, kn	35.75
Fuel, t	oil 727, diesel oil 40
Endurance, nm(kts)	4400(20)
Armament	2 x 2 - 114/45 RP.10 Mk IV, 1 x 1 - 114/45 RP.50 Mk V, 2 x 2 - 40/60 STAAG Mk II, 1 x 2 - 40/60 RP.50 Mk V, 2 x 1 - 40/60 Mk VII, 2 x 5 - 533 TT, 1 x 3 - 305 Squid Mk 4 ASWRL
Sensors	2x type 262, type 275, 2x type 282, type 291, type 293 radars, type 170, type 174 sonars
Complement	281 - 306

Project history: The unique destroyer class created in Britain in days of war taking into account its experience and taken symbolical part in operations. Works on the design of new destroyer of the 1942 program have begun in summer of previous year. For the first time in British practice DP guns in highly mechanized mounts and corresponding fire control system were provided. As a starting point for designing "L" class destroyers had been chosen, which dimensions have a little increased (basically a hull breadth) for arranging of heavier armament consisting of two twin 120mm DP turrets with 80°  elevation angle, three twin 40mm Boforses with radar aiming, 6 single 20mm Oerlikons and two quadruple TT. All main guns took places in a bow since experience of the first years of war has shown, that English destroyers seldom shoot aft. This decision later has served as an occasion to design criticism. It is necessary to mark, however, that "B" mount was installed freely enough, had circular rotation and "dead" aft sector was not so great, as it seems at first sight.

Transition to usage of a high-parameters steam (pressure of 50kgf/cm², in comparison with 21 kgf/cm² on previous classes, since "A") became the important innovation.

In March, 1942 the important decision to transition from 120mm to 114mm guns with better ballistic characteristics and more heavy shell was accepted. The unitary cartridge developed for this gun has appeared too heavy for work with it on such small ships as destroyers. Therefore the gun (is more exact, its breech) has been re-designed to separate loading. Test of new artillery system has passed on destroyer Savage ("S" class). Simultaneously armament included 102mm/40 DP gun for star shells (instead of a traditional searchlight) and have increased to 4 number of twin Boforses. For raise of efficiency antiaircraft artillery it was supposed to equip the ships with stabilizers, but they have appeared only on Camperdown.

8 more ships of modified design (so-called "Battle" of 1943 Programme, with new fire control system, fifth 114mm gun and quintuple TTs) were completed in 1946-1948. The beam was 1m more for compensation of top weight increasing. US Mk 37 director was installed. Single 114mm gun had 55° maximal elevation. Two twin Boforses were in STAAG triaxial mounts and one biaxial.

Modernizations: 1960 - 1962, Agincourt, Aisne, Barrosa, Corunna were converted to radar pickets, as given in the table.

Naval service: Matapan was never commissioned. She was laid up when completed and converted to sonar trials ship in 1971 - 1973. All radar pickets were laid up to 1970.

Many thanks to Borys Estrin for additional information on this page.

Agincourt 1964

© Ivan Gogin, 2008-15