The Battle class were a class of destroyers of the British Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN), named after naval or other battles fought by British or English forces. Built in three groups, the first group were ordered under the 1942 naval estimates. A modified second and third group, together with two ships of an extended design were planned for the 1943 and 1944 estimates. Most of these ships were cancelled when it became apparent that the war was being won and the ships would not be required, although two ships of the third group, ordered for the RAN, were not cancelled and were subsequently completed in Australia.
Seven Battles were commissioned before the end of World War II, but only saw action, with the British Pacific Fleet.
"1942" or "Early Battle" class
The first years of World War II had shown that British destroyers were ill-equipped to deal with concentrated air attacks, and the Royal Navy suffered heavy losses as a result. In 1941 urgent consideration of the problem led to a naval staff requirement for a new class of large fleet destroyer with High Angle (HA) twin guns and an HA control system. It was decided that this main armament would be set forward in a superfiring configuration for all guns to engage one target. Arcs of fire were increased by setting the bridge structure further aft than normal. The proposed anti-aircraft (AA) armament were eight 40/60 mm guns in twin mountings set atop the middle and after deck houses to give all around, overlapping arcs of fire. These were to be supplemented by 20 mm guns positioned variously around the ship. Eight torpedo tubes were to be carried in two quadruple mounts. A/S armament called for two depth charge rails and four depth charge throwers to be fitted. A new feature was the first use of stabilisers in a destroyer, providing a steadier platform for AA gunnery.
With these parameters accepted, a sketch design was approved in the autumn of 1941 and orders for sixteen ships (two flotillas) were placed under the 1942 programme. Considerably larger than the standard fleet destroyer, these ships were seen as a replacement for the which had already suffered many losses. With a length of they were two feet longer than the Tribals and with a beam of were just over three feet wider. It was decided to abandon the usual alphabetical naming of destroyer flotillas and name these ships after famous land and sea battles, thus these ships became known as the 1942 Battle class.
Orders and construction
The first ten ships were ordered on 27 April 1942. These comprised Barfleur, Trafalgar and St Kitts (with Swan Hunter, Wallsend); Armada, Solebay and Saintes (with Hawthorn Leslie); Camperdown and Finisterre (with Fairfield, Govan); and Hogue and (with White, Cowes).
The remaining six ships were ordered on 12 August 1942. These comprised Gabbard (with Swan Hunter); Gravelines and Sluys (with Cammell Laird); and Cadiz, St James and Vigo (with Fairfield, Govan). The order for Hogue and Lagos was moved from Whites to Cammell Laird on the same date.
Modifications
The placing of orders did not stop design work but by this time plans were too far advanced for big changes to be considered, although some design changes were made to the armament. One change, incorporated with protection against air-attack in mind, was the decision to standardise on the 4.5-inch gun for the main armament rather than the low angle 4.7 inch that was the usual destroyer gun and only effective against surface targets. The four 4.5 inch guns, fitted in two Mk IV turrets, were capable of high angle fire against aircraft and were controlled from a Director Control Tower (DCT) fitted with radar. Another alteration made whilst building was the fitting of a 4-inch gun on a gundeck abaft the funnel. It was also decided that the twin 40/60 mm guns would be fitted on Hazemeyer Mark IV mountings fitted with Radar Type 282. These would be mounted side by side on the middle gundeck between the torpedo tubes and en-echelon atop the after deckhouse. Due to delays in completion, the plans for 20 mm guns were altered and eventually four single 40/60 mm guns in Mk VII mountings were fitted, one forward of the bridge structure behind 'B' gun, one on either bridge wing and one aft on the quarterdeck.
Experience in the Pacific, against the Japanese, pointed to the limited usefulness of the 4 inch gun abaft the funnel and only the first ships completed, Barfleur, Armada, Trafalgar, Camperdown, Hogue and Lagos were fitted with the gun. In all other ships the gun was replaced by two single 40/60 mm Mk VII giving a total of 14 Bofors, the heaviest light AA armament of any British destroyer and heavier than that carried in many cruisers. In time, all the ships fitted with the 4 inch gun had them removed and replaced with the two single 40/60 mm Mk VII Bofors
All ships were completed with a lattice foremast, instead of the pole mast shown in the original plans. This enabled the ships to carry the latest radar and various IFF transponders and receivers on the foremast. Typical radar fit when built was the "cheese" of Type 293 target indication at the masthead, Radar Type 291 air warning on the mainmast and the twin nacelles Radar Type 275 fire control on the Mk. VI director.
Service
Delays in completion of these ships was caused, as in other classes, by the late delivery of the Mk VI DCTs and fire control systems. Barfleur was launched first in November 1943 and was completed by Swan Hunter in mid-1944 but by August her DCT had still not been delivered. Barfleur ran trials in September and was commissioned but had to return to the Tyne to await delivery and fitting of her director and fire control system. Other ships were similarly affected, Trafalgar spending many months laid up in the Tyne in 1944.
It was intended that the first eight ships would form the 19th Destroyer Flotilla with the British Pacific Fleet in the Far East, but only Barfleur reached the Pacific in time to take part in operations against Japan. Barfleur was in Tokyo Bay during the Japanese surrender ceremony on 3 September 1945 and after the end of the war she was joined by Armada, Trafalgar, Hogue, Lagos and Camperdown. In 1947 all six ships returned home and went into reserve.
The other two other ships destined for the 19th Flotilla, Solebay and Finisterre, were retained in home waters; Finisterre became gunnery training ship for the Portsmouth Command, and Solebay leader of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet, which consisted of six ships of the second flotilla: Cadiz, Gabbard, St. James, St. Kitts, (see below) and . The other two ships of the second flotilla, Gravelines and Vigo, went straight into reserve upon completion.
The ships of the second flotilla saw a change in the light AA armament. The tri-axially stabilised Dutch "Hazemeyer" mountings with their Radar Type 282 were regarded as unreliable and were replaced by an Admiralty-designed Stabilised Tachymetric Anti Aircraft Gun (STAAG) mount. The Hazemeyer's Radar Type 282 was metric and operated through a pair of Yagi antennae and could therefore only supply target range. The British design used Radar Type 262 centimetric radar with a small spinning dish aerial, which gave range and bearing and was capable of "locking on" to a target and could train and elevate the guns as the target moved. The British design was more complicated than the Dutch design and weighed a massive each (compared with the Hazemeyer's ). This meant that only two mountings could be installed, to keep the top hamper within acceptable limits. These were fitted to the top of the after deckhouse. The middle gundeck, between the torpedo tubes, was left empty. The mountings proved even less reliable than the ones they replaced and led to three ships Saintes, Camperdown and Trafalgar eventually having them replaced by Mk V "utility" mountings, each controlled by a Simple Tachymetric Director (STD) mounted on the top of the gun crew shelter. A further refinement saw the removal of the depth charge equipment and single 40/60 mm Bofors gun from the quarterdeck, to be replaced by a Squid ahead-throwing depth-charge mortar. The after deckhouse was extended to contain a mortar handling room. This eventually became standard for all of the 1942 Battles.
A variation occurred when Saintes was completed with a 4.5 inch RP 41 Mark VI turret in the "B" gun position. Commissioned in September 1946 into the 5th Destroyer Flotilla Saintes spent most of the time in independent trials of the new gun. Upon completion of trials Saintes paid off and was refitted with the standard Battle class armament, then laid up.
Saintes recommissioned in 1949 when, as D3 and with Armada, Vigo and Gravelines, they replaced and the V class as the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, Mediterranean Fleet. Barfleur replaced Gravelines in the 3rd Flotilla but no major changes took place until 1953. The appearance of the Darings at this time spelled the demise of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, and after the Coronation Review all six ships went into reserve. Only two, Solebay and St. Kitts. saw further service with the Royal Navy. In 1956 Saintes headed home for a major refit at Rosyth, her crew transferring to Armada. Vigo also returning to home waters to replace Finisterre as gunnery training ship at Portsmouth. By late 1956 only four ships remained operational. Armada, Barfleur and St. Kitts with the 3rd Destroyer Squadron (as they were now called) and Vigo as Portsmouth Command gunnery training ship. All the other ships were either in reserve or refitting. Most had the fire control system updated and new ASDIC fitted, and those that still had the quarterdeck AA gun had it replaced by the Squid A/S mortar.
In 1957, the Ch-class destroyers of the 1st Destroyer Squadron were replaced by the newly refitted Solebay, Hogue and Lagos. Prior to 1960, Hogue filmed for destroyer night attack scenes used in the film Sink the Bismarck!. Initially serving with the Mediterranean Fleet, in 1959 the squadron deployed to the Far East, where Hogues career came to an abrupt end. While participating in a night-time exercise with other navies off Ceylon on 25 August, Hogue collided with the Indian light cruiser , which rammed Hogue, crushing the destroyer's bow, killing a sailor and wounding three others. She was towed to Singapore where she was laid up until scrapped in 1962. Upon the return home of the remaining ships in 1960 Hogue was replaced in the squadron by Finisterre.
In 1957 a newly refitted Camperdown, which had been in reserve since returning from the Far East with the 19th Destroyer Flotilla ten years previously, was brought back into service to relieve St. Kitts in the 3rd Destroyer Squadron. The following year Saintes having finished her major refit at Rosyth resumed command of the 3rd Squadron, relieving Barfleur in the Mediterranean. Five years later St. Kitts was broken up at Sunderland; Barfleur was laid up for several years before being broken up at Dalmuir in 1966.
One other Battle was given a new lease of life. Trafalgar also laid up in 1947 was refitted and commissioned in 1958 as leader of the 7th Destroyer Squadron. She continued in service, alternating between the Home and Mediterranean Fleets until she finally paid off in 1963. In 1970 she arrived at Dalmuir to be broken up.
Gravelines and St. James also commenced refit at Devonport in 1958 but these were stopped a few months later. Both ships were sent to the breakers in 1961.
In 1957 Cadiz and Gabbard were sold to Pakistan and renamed Khaibar and Badr. Khaibar was lost to a missile attack in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Sluys ended 13 years in the Devonport reserve when she was sold to Iran in 1966. Renamed she completed a three-year refit at Vosper Thornycroft at Southampton. Her profile was radically altered. She was given a new, plated foremast to carry the parabolic aerial of a Plessey AWS 1 long range search radar. A fully enclosed bridge replaced the usual "open sundeck" above the forward superstructure. She retained her 4.5 inch main armament, but these were now controlled by a modern radar and fire control system. Her AA armament now consisted of four single 40/60 mm guns and a quadruple Sea Cat missile launcher on the after end of a new deckhouse which stretched from just aft of the funnel to the quarterdeck. She commissioned in 1970 as a training ship. During 1975/6 she was refitted at Cape Town and fitted with surface-to-surface missile launchers. During a later refit carried out by the Russians, her main gunnery radar and control systems were again modernised, although she retained her original guns and the Sea Cat system was replaced by a modern Russian surface-to-air missile system. She was still in existence in the early 1990s although believed to be non-operational.
In 1960 the 1st and 3rd Destroyer Squadrons were amalgamated to form a new 1st Destroyer Squadron. As a result, Lagos and Armada paid off into reserve, Armada being broken up at Inverkeithing in 1965 and Lagos at Bo'ness in 1967.
The new 1st Destroyer Squadron completed a very busy final two-year commission before finally paying off in May 1962. Solebay became Portsmouth harbour training ship until being scrapped at Troon in 1967. Finisterre remained in Chatham reserve until being broken up at Dalmuir in 1967. Camperdown was laid up in the Hamoaze at Devonport for many years until finally being sent to the breakers yard at Faslane in 1970.
Now only Saintes remained. On paying off in 1962, a volunteer towing crew from her last commission took her to Rosyth, where she went into reserve. Here she was used as the training ship for Artificer Apprentices from who kept her engines and machinery in full working order. She was eventually replaced by the frigate in 1972 and she too headed for the breakers yard at Cairn Ryan, the last of the Royal Navy's 1942 Battle class destroyers.
"1943" or "Later Battle" class
Even after the orders for the earlier, 1942 Battle class had been placed much discussion was still taking place within the naval staff about the final design. There was much debate about the type and disposition of the main armament. In some quarters it was felt that the two main turrets should be distributed one forward and one aft. Many reasons were given for this, but the most logical seems to have been preventing a single hit from disabling both guns. An argument was put forward in some quarters that these ships were underarmed for their size, and there was a call for a third turret to be mounted aft.
Admiral Andrew Cunningham, whilst taking passage in the 1942 Battle-class ship , was rather unflattering in his description of these ships saying that they were "too large" and "had every damned weapon and gadget except guns". Modern naval architects feel this is unfair as the role of destroyers had changed since the admiral commanded a destroyer at the battle of Jutland. The original role of the destroyers was torpedo attack on enemy ships, but their role in the late 1940s was to protect the fleet (and themselves) from aircraft and submarines. The Battle class were probably better at this task than any other Second World War British destroyer.