Daring class destroyer (1949)
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| Daring-class |  |
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| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | Standard: 2,830 tons Full load: 3,820 tons |
| Length: | 390 ft (119 m) |
| Beam: | 53 ft (16.2 m) |
| Draught: | 13.6 ft (4.1 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 Foster Wheeler boilers (650 psi, 850 °F), Parsons steam turbines (English Electric in RAN ships), 2 shafts, 54,000 shp (40 MW) |
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Range: | 4,400 nm at 20 kts |
| Complement: | 297 |
| Armament: |
6 x QF 4.5 in /45 (114 mm) Mark V in 3 twin mountings UD Mark VI |
| Electronics: |
Radar Type 293Q target indication |
The Daring class was a class of eight destroyers of the Royal Navy (RN) that were laid down during and after World War II, though like many other classes, their construction was halted for quite a while. The Darings were not commissioned until the 1950s. Two of the ships, Danae and Delight, were originally part of the Battle class, though only Delight (originally Ypres, then Disdain, before finally being renamed to Delight) was commissioned. Three ships, Vampire, Vendetta and Voyager, were built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and were known as the Voyager class, with another ship, Duchess, being loaned, then subsequently sold to them.
Nine planned Daring class destroyers were cancelled: Danae, Demon, Desire, Desperate, Doughty, Dragon, Druid, Dogstar and Disdain.
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[edit] Design
The Darings were the largest destroyers then built at that time for the RN, at 390 ft (119 m), compared to the Battles at 379 ft (116 m), their predecessor, as-well as a full load displacement of 3,820 t which eclipsed the Battles 3,430 t. The Darings were the last conventional gun destroyers of the RN armed with the QF 4.5 inch /45 (114 mm) Mark V gun in three double mounts UD Mk.VI (later renamed simply Mark N6). The main armament was controlled by a director Mark VI fitted with Radar Type 275 on the bridge and a director CRBF (close range blind fire) aft with Radar Type 262 providing local control for 'X' turret on aft arcs. Remote Power Control (RPC) was provided for the main armament. They were designed to ship three twin 40 mm /60 Bofors mounts STAAG Mark II, but one was later replaced by the lighter and more reliable twin Mount Mark V. This meant that the Darings could engage 2 targets at long range and 2 at close range under fully automatic radar directed-control, an enormous improvement over their predecessors. Radar Type 293 was carried on the foremast for target indication.
The Royal Navy ships were built in two groups, one with the traditional DC electrical system (Daring, Dainty, Defender and Delight) and the remaining ships with a modern AC system. They were known as the 2nd and 5th Destroyer Squadrons, respectively. They were to have been of all-welded construction, but in the event, Daring, Decoy and Diana employed composite welded and rivetted construction.
Like the earlier Weapon class they had their machinery arranged on the 'unit' principle, where boiler rooms and engine rooms alternated to increase survivability. The boilers utilised pressures and temperatures (650 psi, 850 °F) hithertoo unheard of in the conservative Royal Navy, allowing great savings in weight and efficiency to be made. The wide spacing of the boilers resulted in widely-spaced funnels. The forward funnel was trunked up through the lattice foremast with the after funnel a stump amidships. Neither was provided with a casing, resulting in a curious, rather unappealing appearance. Attempts were made to improve the appearance by adding a streamline case to the funnel, but this was later removed. Of note was a new design of bridge, breaking with a lineage going back to the G and H class destroyer of 1936. 3/8 inch armour plating was added to the turrets, the bridge and the fire control cable runs.
[edit] Modifications
In 1958, the 'DC' group had their after torpedo tubes removed and replaced with a deckhouse providing additional accommodation facilities. This modification was made in the 'AC' ships in 1959-1960. At the same time as this, the 'AC' replaced the STAAG mounts with single mounts Mark 7 and had the director Mk VI replaced by the new director MRS-3 (medium range system) incorporating the Radar Type 903 for fire control. The SeaCat missile launcher was fitted briefly to Diana but it was later removed and never fitted to the rest of the Darings as had been intended.
Between 1962 and 1964, the 'DC' group had the STAAG mounts replaced by the Mark V also, with the final set of torpedo tubes being removed at the same time. This group also had the director MRS-3 replace the Mark VI.
[edit] Service
The class saw faithful service with the RN and RAN for quite some time, serving in a number of conflicts. HMS Delight, and HMAS Duchess, Vampire and Vendetta took part in the Indonesian Confrontation, with Vendetta also seeing service during the Vietnam War in 1970. Sadly, tragedy struck in peacetime, when in 1964, HMAS Voyager was cut in half by the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and sank with the loss of eighty-one of her crew. The Darings received little modernisation during their time in the RN, and so, in the 1970s, all ships in RN service were decommissioned. Darings in RAN service except for Duchess were given enclosed bridges and their gun direction systems were modified beyond the original range to 25,000 yards to better reflect the capability of the guns themselves. Regarded by many in the RAN as the finest gunship ever built, with a rate of fire of up to 65 rounds per minute.
Two ships, Decoy and Diana, were sold to the Peruvian Navy. The last RAN ship to be decommissioned was Vampire, in 1987, subsequently becoming a museum-ship at Darling Harbour, Sydney.
[edit] Bibliography
- Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981, Maurice Cocker, Ian Allan, ISBN 0-7110-1075-7
- Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945, Leo Marriot, Ian Allan, ISBN 0-7110-1817-0
| Daring-class destroyer |
| Royal Navy |
| Dainty | Daring | Decoy | Defender | Delight | Diamond | Diana | Duchess |
| Peruvian Navy |
| Palacios (ex-Diana) | Ferré (ex-Decoy) |
| Royal Australian Navy |
| Duchess | Vampire | Vendetta | Voyager |
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