HMS Onslow (G17)
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| Career |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Ordered: | 3 Sep, 1939 | |
| Laid down: | 1 Jul, 1940 | |
| Launched: | 31 Mar, 1941 | |
| Commissioned: | 8 Oct, 1941 | |
| Fate: | Transferred to Pakistan Navy in 1949. In service until 1979. | |
| General Characteristics | ||
| Displacement: | 1,550 tons | |
| Length: | 345 feet o/a | |
| Beam: | 35 feet | |
| Draught: | 13.5 feet | |
| Propulsion: | 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp, 2 shafts | |
| Speed: | 37 knots | |
| Range: | 472 tons oil, 3,850 nm at 20 kt | |
| Complement: | 176+ | |
| Armament: | 4 x single 4.7 in guns QF Mark XII on mounting CP Mk.XVIII 1 x single 4 in gun QF Mk.V on mounting HA Mk.III |
|
| Motto: "Festina Lente" | ||
HMS Onslow was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which entered service in 1941. She was outfitted as the flotilla leader of the O-class.
Her most notable action was at the Battle of the Barents Sea in 1942, while escorting convoy JW 51B to Russia. The convoy came under fire, and together with other destroyers, she held off attacks from the much more powerful German cruiser Admiral Hipper. The Onslow was heavily damaged during these attacks, and her Captain, Robert St. Vincent Sherbrooke, was severely injured. However, the outcome of the battle was that the German ships withdrew despite their superior force, and the convoy safely arrived in Russia. The Onslow was repaired and Captain Sherbrooke was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross.
The Onslow was also involved in the sinking of U-Boat U-589 in September 1942 as part of Arctic Convoy PQ-18, and was involved in convoy escort duties during the Battle of North Cape in 1943.
In 1944 she was part of the naval escort for the ill-fated Exercise Tiger, and was part of the naval screen during the D-Day landings.
In 1949 the ship was procured by the Pakistan Navy and renamed the Tippu Sultan. She served until 1979.
Writer and journalist Alan Ross also served on the ship during World War II.
