P class sloop

The P class, nominally described as "patrol boats", was in effect a class of coastal sloops. Twenty-four ships to this design were ordered in May 1915 (numbered P.11 to P.34) and another thirty between February and June 1916 (numbered P.35 to P.64) under the Emergency War Programme for the Royal Navy in the First World War, although ten of the latter group were in December 1916 altered on the stocks before launch for use as decoy Q-ships and were renumbered as PC-class sloops. None were named, although in 1925 P.38 was given the name Spey.

These vessels were designed to replace destroyers in coastal operations, but had twin screws, a very low freeboard, ram bows of hardened steel, a sharply cutaway funnel and a small turning circle. Clearly seen as the linear descendants of the late 19th century steam torpedo boats and coastal destroyers, many were actally fitted with the 14 in torpedo tubes removed from old torpedo boats.

PC class sloops

Ten of these ships were completed as Q-ships, with their numbers being altered by the addition of a "C" after the "P". These were termed the PC class sloops. A further batch of ten ships were ordered in 1917 (PC.65 to PC.70 in January, and PC.71 to PC.74 in June) as PC class sloops. These were built to resemble small merchant vessels for use as decoy (Q) ships, and were alternatively known as "PQ" boats. Again, none were named, although in 1925 PC.73 was given the name Dart, while PC.55 and PC.69 were named Baluchi and Pathan respectively upon transfer to the Royal Indian Navy in May 1922.

The PC-class sloops were completed with slight enlargement from the standard P-class sloops. They were 247 ft (overall) long and 25½ ft in breadth, although they had similar machinery. Displacement varied from 682 tons in PC.42, PC.43, PC.44, PC.51, PC.55 and PC.56 to 694 tons in PC.60 to PC.63 and in PC.65 to PC.74. They carried one 4-inch and two 12-pounder guns, and no torpedo tubes.

Ships

1915 batch:

• P.11 — built by J. Samuel White & Company, Cowes, launched 14 October 1915. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.12 — built by White, launched 4 December 1918. Sunk in collision in the Channel 4 November 1918.
• P.13 — built by William Hamilton and Company, Port Glasgow, launched 7 June 1916. Renumbered P.75 on 31 July 1917. Sold for breaking up 31 July 1923.
• P.14 — built by Charles Connell & Company, Scotstoun, launched 4 July 1916. Sold for breaking up 31 July 1923.
• P.15 — built by Workman Clark & Company, Belfast, launched 24 January 1916. Sold on 26 November 1921.
• P.16 — built by Workman Clark, launched 23 March 1916. Sold on 26 November 1921.
• P.17 — built by Workman Clark, launched 21 October 1915. Sold on 26 November 1921.
• P.18 — built by A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow, launched 20 April 1916. Sold 26 November 1921.
• P.19 — built by Northumberland Shipbuilding Company, Howden on Tyne, launched 21 February 1916. Sold 24 July 1923.
• P.20 — built Northumberland Shipbuilding, launched 3 April 1916. Sold for breaking up in May 1923.
• P.21 — built by Russell & Company, Port Glasgow, launched 31 March 1916. Sold 26 November 1921.
• P.22 — built by Caird & Company, Greenock, launched 22 February 1916. Sold for breaking up 12 December 1923.
• P.23 — built by Bartram & Sons, Sunderland, launched 5 March 1916. Sold 24 July 1923.
• P.24 — built by Harland & Wolff, Govan, launched 23 November 1915. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.25 — built by Harland & Wolff, Govan, launched 15 January 1916. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.26 — built by Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, launched 22 December 1915. Mined off Le Havre 10 April 1917.
• P.27 — built by Joseph T. Eltringham & Company, South Shields, launched 21 December 1915. Sold 24 July 1923.
• P.28 — built by Robert Thompson & Sons, Sunderland, launched 6 March 1916. Sold 24 July 1923.
• P.29 — built by William Gray & Company, West Hartlepool, launched 6 December 1915. Sold 24 July 1923.
• P.30 — built by W. Gray & Co., launched 5 February 1916. Sold 24 July 1923.
• P.31 — built by J. Readhead & Sons, South Shields, launched 5 February 1916. Sold for breaking up 16 December 1926.
• P.32 — built by W. Harkess & Sons, Middlesbrough, launched 20 January 1916. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.33 — built by Napier & Miller, Old Kilpatrick (Glasgow), launched 8 June 1916. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.34 — built by Barclay Curle & Company, Whiteinch, launched 22 March 1916. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.

1916 batch:

• P.35 — built by Caird & Company, launched 29 January 1917. Sold for breaking up 15 January 1923.
• P.36 — built by Eltringham, launched 25 October 1916. Sold for breaking up in May 1923.
• P.37 — built by W. Gray & Co., launched 28 October 1916. Sold 18 February 1924.
• P.38 — built by William Hamilton, launched 10 February 1917. Sold for breaking up 7 December 1937.
• P.39 — built by Inglis, launched 1 March 1917. Sold for breaking up 6 September 1922.
• P.40 — built by White, launched 12 July 1916. Sold for breaking up 1937.
• P.41 — built by Bartram, launched 23 March 1917. Sold for breaking up 6 September 1922.
• P.42 — built by Caird & Company, renumbered PC.42 before being launched 7 June 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.43 — built by Caird & Company, renumbered PC.43 before being launched 14 August 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up 20 January 1923.
• P.44 — built by Eltringham, renumbered PC.44 before being launched 25 April 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up 9 April 1923.
• P.45 — built by W. Gray & Co., launched 24 January 1917. Sold for breaking up 15 January 1923.
• P.46 — built by Harkess, launched 7 February 1917. Sold for breaking up 28 October 1925.
• P.47 — built by Readhead, launched 9 July 1917. Sold for breaking up 28 October 1923.
• P.48 — built by Readhead, launched 5 September 1917. Sold for breaking up May 1923.
• P.49 — built by Thompson, launched 19 April 1917. Sold for breaking up 15 January 1923.
• P.50 — built by Tyne Iron, launched 25 November 1916. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.51 — built by Tyne Iron, renumbered PC.51 before being launched 25 November 1916, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up 18 January 1923,
• P.52 — built by White, launched 28 September 1916. Sold for breaking up May 1923.
• P.53 — built by Barclay Curle, launched 8 February 1917. Sold 18 February 1924.
• P.54 — built by Barclay Curle, launched 25 April 1917. Sold 18 February 1924.
• P.55 — built by Barclay Curle, renumbered PC.55 before being launched 5 May 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Transferred to Royal Indian Navy February 1922, renamed Baluchi in May 1922; sold 1935.
• P.56 — built by Barclay Curle, renumbered PC.56 before being launched 2 June 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up 31 July 1923.
• P.57 — built by Hamilton, launched 6 August 1917. Sold to Egypt 21 May 1920 and renamed El Raqib.
• P.58 — built by Hamilton, launched 9 May 1918. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.59 — built by White, launched 2 November 1917. Sold for breaking up 16 June 1938.
• P.60 — built by Workman Clark, renumbered PC.60 before being launched 4 June 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold 18 February 1924.
• P.61 — built by Workman Clark, renumbered PC.61 before being launched 19 June 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking uo 9 April 1923.
• P.62 — built by Harland & Wolff, Govan, renumbered PC.62 before being launched 7 June 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• P.63 — built by Connell, renumbered PC.63 before being launched 2 October 1917, and completed as PC class sloop. Sold for breaking up May 1923.
• P.64 — built by Inglis, launched 30 August 1917. Sold for breaking up 9 April 1923.

1917 batch:

• PC.65 — built by Eltringham, launched 5 September 1917. Sold for breaking up 8 January 1923.
• PC.66 — built by Harkess, launched 12 February 1918. Sold for breaking up 31 July 1923.
• PC.67 — built by White, Cowes, launched 7 May 1917. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• PC.68 — built by White, Cowes, launched 29 June 1917. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
• PC.69 — built by Workman Clark, Belfast, launched 11 March 1918. Transferred to Royal Indian Navy 5 August 1921, and renamed Pathan 30 May 1922; sunk by explosion off Bombay 23 June 1940.
• PC.70 — built by Workman Clark, Belfast, launched 12 April 1918. Sold for breaking up 3 September 1926.
• PC.71 — built by White, Cowes, launched 18 March 1918. Sold for breaking up 28 October 1925.
• PC.72 — built by White, Cowes, launched 8 June 1918. Sold for breaking up 28 October 1925.
• PC.73 — built by White, Cowes, launched 1 August 1918. Renamed Dart in April 1925. Sold for breaking up 16 June 1938.
• PC.74 — built by White, Cowes, launched 4 October 1918. Operated as Q-ship Chatsgrove during WW2 (from September to October 1929). Sold for breaking up 19 July 1948.

References

• British and Empire Warships of the Second World War, H T Lenton, 1998, Greenhill Books, ISBN 978-1-85367-277-4
• Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I, Janes Publishing, 1919
• The Grand Fleet, Warship Design and Development 1906-1922, D. K. Brown, Chatham Publishing, 1999, ISBN 978-1-86176-099-9