G and H class destroyer

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HMS Hunter pictured before the war showing the original design of the class with flat-fronted bridge.

The G and H class destroyers were a class of twenty-four destroyers of the Royal Navy (two later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and one to the Polish Navy) launched in 1935–1939. They served in World War II and seventeen were lost. Other ships were built for the navies of Argentina, Brazil, and Greece.

[edit] General Characteristics

Source Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946

• Displacement: 1,340 tons standard, 1980 tons deep load
• Length: 323 ft (98 m)
• Beam: 33 ft
• Draught: 12 ft 5 inch (13 ft 4 inch deep load)
• Complement: 145 men
• Armament:
  • four 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns,
  • eight 0.5 inch (13 mm) AA machine guns,
  • eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes,
  • 45 depth charges.
  • Later during the war some ships were modified as escort destroyers with fewer 4.7 inch guns and the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar. The ex-Brazilian ships had only three 4.7 inch guns but carried 110 depth charges.
• Speed: 36 knots (70 km/h)
• Propulsion: Parsons geared turbines, 2 shafts, 3 boilers, 34,000 hp (30 MW)
• Grenville and Hardy were built as destroyer leaders or flotilla flagships and were somewhat larger.
• Displacement: 1456 tons standard
• Length: 337 ft
• Armament: five 4.7 inch guns in single mountings

Other details as rest of the class

[edit] Royal Navy ships

[edit] G class

[edit] H class

Hero and Hereward introduced a new design of bridge that was to become standard on all Royal Navy fleet destroyers from the "I" class to the "Battle" class of 1944. This was necessary as Hereward carried a propotype 4.7 in mounting CP Mark XIX that was to be fitted to the "Tribal" and "J, K and N classes. This weapon had a trunion height 13 inches taller than the previous single mount CP Mark XVIII, therefore it was necessary to raise the wheelhouse in order that the helmsman had a forward field of view. As a result, the armoured wheelhouse was raised and placed forward of, rather than below, the bridge. This resulted in a characteristic "wedge" shape, with a sloping roof to give the bridge a view of the fo'c'sle.

[edit] Havant class

HMS Hesperus wearing dazzle camouflage in 1940, showing the angular bridge front that was fitted to Hero, Hereward and the ex-Brazilian ships.

These six ships were ordered by the Brazilian Navy but on the outbreak of World War II they were requisitioned by the Royal Navy. They are usually included with the H class.

[edit] Argentinian ships

Seven ships were built for the Argentine Navy as the Buenos Aires class, they were delivered in 1938.

[edit] Acre class (Brazil)

Brazil ordered six Jarua class ships from Britain in 1938. These ships were purchased by Britain on the outbreak of war in 1939 and are described above. The Brazilians decided to produce indigenous destroyers at the Ihla das Cobras shipyard, Rio de Janeiro, The design was based on the H class plans supplied by Britain but with 5 inch guns supplied by the USA. Although laid down in 1940, the ships were not completed until 1949-51.

[edit] Royal Hellenic Navy ships

Two ships, modified versions of the G class, were built for the Greeks.

• Vasilefs Georgios: Named after King George I, she served with the RHN during the Greco-Italian War. Damaged by German aircraft, she managed to reach the Salamis Navy Yard and was put in drydock for repairs, where after further damage during German air attacks, she was finally scuttled to prevent capture. The Germans raised and repaired her and she was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine as Hermes (ZG3) on 21 March 1942. Hermes was heavily damaged off Cape Bon on 30 April 1943 and scuttled on 7 May 1943.
• Vasilissa Olga: Named after Queen Olga, she served with the RHN during the Greco-Italian War. Along with other ships, escaped to Alexandria in May 1941 and joined the Allied forces. She was lost to German aircraft while anchored in Lakki Bay, Leros on 26 September 1943.

Two further ships, the Vasilefs Konstantinos and Vasilissa Sofia, named after King Constantine I and Queen Sofia respectively, were to be built in Greece, but construction halted due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

[edit] Sources and references

• English, John. Amazon to Ivanhoe - British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s.
• March, Edgar J. British Destroyers, 1892-1953.
• Whitley, M J., Destroyers of World War Two : An International Encyclopedia, Arms and Armour Press, 1999, ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

[edit] External links