Sea Weapons

Destroyer (1945)

Battle class

HMS Sluys (R60)

The Battle class was an attempt by the Royal Navy to return to the concept of a full-sized fleet destroyer, with operations in the Pacific primarily in mind (hence their increased range). As such, they are successors to the pre-war Tribal class rather than the War Emergency utility destroyers that formed the bulk of wartime construction. Armament consisted of a pair of twin 4.5-in QF Mk. III guns. While similar to those on the final batches of War Emergency ships, the twin turrets were capable of 80 degree elevation making them even more effective as dual-purpose weapons. Anti-aircraft aircraft was substantially improved with four twin Bofors and an assortment of 20-mm guns and 2-pdr pompoms. A full set of eight torpedo tubes were added but given their role as fleet destroyers rather than escorts, only 60 depth charges were carried. These were later replaced by Squid ASW mortar launchers. The Battle class was built in three groups. The first was completed in its entirety but only half of the planned 16 ships of the second group were completed. These had an extra 4.5-in gun in a single mount (with only 55 degree elevation), as well as an extra pair of torpedo tubes and heavier anti-aircraft weaponry. A third and final group was cancelled shortly after World War II although two ships were built in Australia. Despite being considerably more powerful than any other British wartime destroyer class, most were placed in reserve years after World War II although all were brought back into service in the 1950s until scrapped in the 1960-70s. One ship was transferred to Iran and two to Pakistan of which one was sunk in combat (the only loss from this class).

Only one of the ships, HMS Barfleur was completed in time to serve in World War II, as part of the British Pacific Fleet, although it was joined in the Far East by some of its sister ships after VJ Day. Aside from that, their combat records were relatively modest although half of the ships were in action during the 1956 Suez Crisis. The most notorious inicent was the loss of HMS Hogue in a collision with the Indian light cruiser INS Mysore in 1959 after which it was declared a total loss. Additionally, the Pakistani Khaibar (formerly HMS Cadiz) was lost by SS-N-2 Styx missiles fired by Indian missile boats during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War.

Preceded by:

Ch/Co/Cr-class (1945)

Succeeded by:

Weapon (1947)

Registry

Ship Code Builder Laid Launch Comm Decomm Fate
Battle (1):
Armada R14 Hawthorn Leslie29/12/194209/12/194302/07/194504/1960Sold/Scrapped
Barfleur R80 Swan Hunter28/11/194201/11/194314/09/194409/1958Sold/Scrapped
Cadiz R09 Fairfield10/05/194316/09/194412/04/194629/02/1956Transferred
Camperdown R32 Fairfield30/11/194208/02/194418/06/19451962Sold/Scrapped
Finisterre R55 Fairfield08/12/194222/06/194411/09/19451965Sold/Scrapped
Gabbard R47 Swan Hunter02/02/194416/03/194510/12/194629/02/1956Transferred
Gravelines R24 Cammell Laird10/08/194330/11/194414/06/19461957Sold/Scrapped
Hogue H74 Cammell Laird06/01/194321/04/194424/07/194525/08/1959 Loss in collision
Lagos R44 Cammell Laird08/04/194304/08/194402/11/19451960Sold/Scrapped
St. James R65 Fairfield20/05/194307/06/194512/07/19461953Sold/Scrapped
St. Kitts R18 Swan Hunter08/09/194304/10/194421/01/19461957Sold/Scrapped
Saintes R84 Hawthorn Leslie08/06/194319/07/194427/09/194605/1962Sold/Scrapped
Sluys R60 Cammell Laird24/11/194328/02/194530/09/19461953Transferred
Solebay R70 Hawthorn Leslie03/02/194322/02/194411/10/19451962Sold/Scrapped
Trafalgar R77 Swan Hunter15/02/194312/01/194423/07/19451963Sold/Scrapped
Vigo R31 Fairfield11/09/194327/09/194509/12/194609/1959Sold/Scrapped
Battle (2):
Agincourt I06 Hawthorn Leslie12/12/194329/01/194525/06/19471966Sold/Scrapped
Aisne I22 Vickers-Armstrong26/08/194312/05/194520/03/19471968Sold/Scrapped
Alamein I17 Hawthorn Leslie01/03/194428/05/194520/03/19471960Sold/Scrapped
Albuera Vickers-Armstrong01/09/194328/08/1945--Cancelled, scrapped
Barrosa I68 John Brown18/12/194317/01/194514/02/19471968Sold/Scrapped
Belleisle Fairfield11/194307/02/1946--Cancelled, scrapped
Corunna I97 Swan Hunter12/04/194429/05/194506/06/19471965Sold/Scrapped
Dunkirk I09 A. Stephens19/07/194427/08/194527/11/19461961Sold/Scrapped
Jutland I16 A. Stephens27/11/194420/02/194630/07/19471961Sold/Scrapped
Matapan I43 John Brown11/03/194430/04/194505/09/19471977Sold/Scrapped
Mons Hawthorn Leslie06/1945---Cancelled
Namur Cammell Laird04/194412/06/1945--Cancelled, scrapped
Navarino Cammell Laird05/194421/09/1945--Cancelled, scrapped
Omdurman Fairfield03/1944---Cancelled
Oudenarde Swan Hunter10/194411/09/1945--Cancelled, scrapped
San Domingo Cammell Laird12/1944---Cancelled
Battle (3):
Jutland Hawthorn Leslie08/194402/11/1945--Cancelled, scrapped
Poictiers Hawthorn Leslie02/194404/01/1946--Cancelled, scrapped
River Platte Swan Hunter04/1945---Cancelled
St. Lucia A. Stephens1945---Cancelled
Somme Cammell Laird12/1944---Cancelled
Talavera John Brown08/194427/08/1945--Cancelled, scrapped
Trincomalee John Brown02/194508/01/1946--Cancelled, scrapped
Waterloo Fairfield06/1945---Cancelled
Tobruk D37 Cockatoo Docks05/08/194620/12/194708/05/195009/10/1960Sold/Scrapped
Anzac D59 Williamstown DYd23/09/194620/08/194814/03/195104/10/1974Sold/Scrapped
Transfers:
Ship Code Former Code Comm Decomm Fate
Artemis D5 Sluys R60 26/01/19671990Struck
Badr D161 Gabbard R47 29/02/19561985Struck
Khaibar D163 Cadiz R09 29/02/195604/12/1971 Loss by missile (ship)

Gallery