HMS Eridge (L68)
For other ships of the same name, see HMS Eridge.
.jpg) Eridge in July 1941 | |
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Eridge |
| Builder: | Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom |
| Laid down: | 21 November 1939 |
| Launched: | 20 August 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 28 February 1941 |
| Reclassified: | Base ship on 29 August 1942 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap, 1946 |
| General characteristics Type II | |
| Class and type: | Hunt-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,050 long tons (1,070 t) standard 1,430 long tons (1,450 t) full load |
| Length: | 85.3 m (279 ft 10 in) o/a |
| Beam: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 19,000 shp (14,000 kW) |
| Speed: | 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h) 25.5 kn (29.3 mph; 47.2 km/h) full |
| Range: | 3,600 nmi (6,700 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h) |
| Complement: | 164 |
| Armament: | • 6 × QF 4 in Mark XVI on twin mounts Mk. XIX • 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII on quad mount MK.VII • 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons on single mounts P Mk. III • 110 depth charges, 2 throwers, 3 racks |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Commanders: | Lt.Cdr. William Frank Niemann Gregory-Smith |
HMS Eridge was a Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1940 and served during the Second World War.
Service history
On 29 May 1942, Eridge assisted the destroyers Hero and Hurworth in sinking the German submarine U-568}.[1] At 04:15 on 29 August 1942, she began shelling Axis positions off El Daba, Egypt, at 31°7′N 28°26′E / 31.117°N 28.433°E, together with the destroyers Croome and Hursley. At 05:00, she was permanently disabled by a 450mm torpedo fired by the Italian motor torpedo boat MTSM-228. The attack caused five fatalities on board Eridge.[2] She was towed to Alexandria by the destroyer Aldenham,[3] where the destroyer was used as a base ship for the rest of the war and sold for scrapping in October 1946.
References
- ↑ HMS Eridge (L 68)
- ↑ Paul Kemp (1999). The Admiralty regrets: British warship losses of the 20th century. Sutton. p. 192.
- ↑ "Commander Alex Stuart-Menteth". The Daily Telegraph. 6 June 2000.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
Further reading
- Smith, Gregory (2008). Red Tobruk: Memoirs of a World War II Destroyer Commander. Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 1-84415-862-4.
External links
- HMS Eridge (L 68) at uboat.net
- HMS Eridge (L 68)
- Captain Frank Gregory-Smith - Daily Telegraph obituary
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