HMS Diana (D126)

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HMS Diana
HMS Diana passing through the Kiel Kanal. June 1961


General Characteristics
Displacement:	3,610 Standard
Length:	390 ft
Beam:	43 ft
Propulsion:	Engines by Parsons. Propulsion: Geared turbine. 2 shaft
Speed:	Over 30 knots
Complement:	297
Armament:	3 x twin 4.5 in guns 2 x twin 40 mm Bofors guns One Triple Anti-Submarine Mortar 5 x torpedo tubes

1 Introduction
2 Size
3 Launch
4 Armament
5 Electrical Supply
6 Propulsion
7 Name, Goddess and Crest
8 Career
9 Sold
10 References
11 External links

[edit] Introduction

HMS Diana was one of the Daring Class of destroyers planned during the Second World War by the Royal Navy. It, therefore, reflected developments of the Pacific campaign. Long range ability, able to efficiently RAS (Replenish At Sea).

Sixteen were planned, but the ending of the war resulted in only eight being built.

Daring, Dainty, Duchess, Decoy, Defender, Delight, Diana, and Diamond.

[edit] Size

Diana's standard displacement was 3,610 tons. Length and beam of the ship are 390 feet and 43 feet respectively, she was capable of steaming at over 30 knots. The normal peacetime complement of HMS Diana was 297 officers and men.

[edit] Launch

The ship was built at Clydebank, Glasgow, by Yarrow and Co. Ltd. (Yard No 1846 ), laid down 3 April 1947 and launched Thursday 8 May 1952 by Lady McGrigor, wife of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Rhoderick McGrigor, and first commissioned 29 March 1954. Originally the name was to be Druid but this changed to Diana during building.

At the time Diana was considered a large destroyer, being nearly as big as a pre-war light cruiser. The Daring class was a logical outcome of the Pacific War, where the ability to stay at sea for long periods was of prime importance.

[edit] Armament

The main armament consisted of six 4.5 inch dual purpose guns in three totally enclosed turrets, two forward, one aft. At the time of building the control system for the guns was the most advanced in the Royal Navy, being completely radar controlled. The guns were considered, at the time, highly accurate with a high rate of fire.

In summary her armament was: (1960)

Six 4.5” guns
Two 40mm Bofors Guns
Five Torpedo Tubes
One Triple Anti-Submarine Mortar.

[edit] Electrical Supply

The ship's electrical power was produced by two turbine generators and three diesel generators. The current used was 440 volts, 60 cycle Alternating Current (AC) power.

Interestingly, of the eight Darings, four ships were designed to operate on Direct Current (DC) for their electrical supply and four to operate on AC. The object was a practical test to determine which form of electrical supply was the most practical. Diana was an AC ship, as were all Royal Navy ships following this 'test'.

[edit] Propulsion

Engines by Parsons
Propulsion: Geared turbine. 2 shaft

The crest of HMS Diana

[edit] Name, Goddess and Crest

“This Diana of ours is a very demanding person, goddesses tend to be that way” Captain GJ Kirkby, DSC **, Royal Navy, Captain, HMS Diana 1961. The ship's Commission book of 1961 describes Diana (the goddess) has having a distinctly complex personality. Apart from being the huntress; by the light of the sun she was pure and chaste. By the light of the moon, however, she became abandoned and dark. For a more scholarly article (on the goddess) see Diana (goddess).

[edit] Career

Diana saw action during the Suez Crisis, when on October 31, 1956, she torpedoed and sank the Egyptian frigate Domiat, which was engaged in a one sided gun duel with the cruiser HMS Newfoundland in the Red Sea.

[edit] Sold

HMS Diana was acquired by the Peruvian Navy in 1969 together with HMS Decoy. Renamed BAP Palacios (DM-73) she served until 1993 when she was stricken.