Anzac class destroyer (1916)
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Anzac class leader |
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|---|---|
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,670 tons |
| Length: | 325 ft |
| Beam: | 31 ft 9 in |
| Draught: | 10 ft 6 in |
| Propulsion: | Yarrow-type boilers, steam turbines, 3 shafts, 36,000 shp |
| Speed: | 34 kts |
| Range: | 415 tons oil, ? |
| Complement: | 116 |
| Armament: | 4 x 4 in L/40 QF Mark IV, mounting P Mk. IX 1 x 12 pdr (3 in) QF Mark II, mounting HA Mk.? |
The Anzac class leaders were a class of destroyer leaders completed for the Royal Navy during 1916 for World War I service. They were named after famed historical naval leaders, except Anzac, which was named to honour the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. They were the last major Royal Navy warships to be ordered with three shafts, a design that was never widely adopted in British warships.
The Anzacs were based on the design of the preceding Marksman class leaders but, significantly, the bridge was moved aft (requiring 3 funnels, instead of the 4 in the Marksmans). This allowed a superfiring gun to be added on a shelter deck. This crucial design change was to set the trend for future designs. It allowed for 2 forward guns with unobstructed training arcs (previous designs often had guns side-by-side), but more significantly, the elevated "B" gun was workable in heavy seas. This increased the fighting efficiency of destroyers, previously limited by seas breaking across the fo'c'sle making the guns unworkable.
Another design improvement over previous types was the adoption of director-controlled firing. Rather than allowing individual gun crews to lay and fire their guns, the firing solution was worked out on a central director table (a type of mechanical computer), supplied with target information by a sight and rangefinder carried on the bridge. Firing was directly commanded by the gunnery officer, improving accuracy, and this system was adopted as standard from the pioneering "V and W" class of 1917 onwards.
[edit] Ships
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anzac | G00 | William Denny, Dumbarton | January 31, 1916 | January 11, 1917 | April 24, 1917 | To Royal Australian Navy, 1919 |
| Grenville | G95 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | June 19, 1915 | June 16, 1916 | November 11, 1916 | Scrapped by 1935 |
| Saumarez | H08 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | March 2, 1916 | November 14, 1916 | December 21, 1916 | Scrapped by 1935 |
| Seymour | D09 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | December 23, 1915 | August 31, 1916 | December 30, 1916 | Scrapped by 1935 |
| Parker | G60 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | June 19, 1915 | August 16, 1916 | November 13, 1916 | Scrapped by 1935 |
| Hoste | G90 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | July 1, 1915 | June 17, 1916 | November ? 1916 | Lost in collision with destroyer Negro December 21, 1916 off Shetland Islands |
[edit] Bibliography
- Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981, Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-1075-7
- Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919, Jane's Publishing
