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HMSBeaufort(L14)

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For other ships with the same name, seeHMS Beaufort.

Beaufortin May 1945
History
United Kingdom
NameHMSBeaufort
Ordered4 September 1940
BuilderCammell Laird
Laid down17 July 1940
Launched9 June 1941
Commissioned3 November 1941
FateTransferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1952
Norway
NameHaugesund
IdentificationF312
FateSold for breaking up in 1965
NotesPennant number:D312 changed to F312 after 1956
General characteristics
Class and typeType II Hunt-classdestroyer
Displacement
  • 1,050 long tons (1,067 t) standard;
  • 1,490 long tons (1,514 t) full load
Length85.34 m (280.0 ft)
Beam9.62 m (31.6 ft)
Draught2.51 m (8 ft 3 in)
Propulsion2 shaft Parsons geared turbines; 19,000 shp
Speed25.5 kn (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph)
Range3,600 nmi (6,670 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement164
Armament

HMSBeaufortwas aHunt-classdestroyerof theRoyal Navy.She was laid down on 17 July 1940 atCammell Laird,Birkenhead.She was launched on 9 June 1941 and commissioned on 3 November 1941. During theSecond World Warthe ship served in theMediterranean Sea,escorting convoys and covering landings. She was transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1952 and scrapped in 1965.

Construction and design

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HMSBeaufortwas one of 16 Type II Hunt-class destroyers ordered from various shipbuilders on 20 December 1939.[1]The Hunts were meant to fill the Royal Navy's need for a large number of small destroyer-type vessels capable of both convoy escort and operations with the fleet. The Type II Hunts differed from the earlier ships in having increasedbeamin order to improve stability[a]and carry the ships' originally intended armament.[3]

Beaufortwaslaid downatCammell-Laird'sBirkenhead,shipyard on 17 July 1940 and waslaunchedon 9 June 1941, and was completed on 3 November that year.[1]Beaufortwas the second ship of the Royal Navy to have that name, and was named after theDuke of Beaufort's Hunt.[4]

Beaufortwas 264 feet 3 inches (80.54 m) longbetween perpendicularsand 280 feet (85.34 m)overall.The ship'sbeamwas 31 feet 6 inches (9.60 m) anddraught7 feet 9 inches (2.36 m). Displacement was 1,050long tons(1,070t)standardand 1,490 long tons (1,510 t) under full load. TwoAdmiralty boilersraising steam at 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa) and 620 °F (327 °C) fedParsonssingle-reduction gearedsteam turbinesthat drove two propeller shafts, generating 19,000 shaft horsepower (14,000 kW) at 380 rpm. This gave a speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph).[5]Fuel capacity was 277 long tons (281 t) of oil, giving a design range of 2,560 nautical miles (4,740 km; 2,950 mi) (although in service use, this dropped to 1,550 nautical miles (2,870 km; 1,780 mi)).[6]

The ship's main gun armament was six4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVIdual purpose (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) guns in three twin mounts, with one mount forward and two aft. Additional close-in anti-aircraft armament was provided by a quadruple2-pounder "pom-pom"mount and two singleOerlikon 20 mm cannonmounted in the bridge wings.[7][8]Power-operated twin 20 mm Oerlikon mounts replaced the single Oerlikons during the war.[9]Up to 110depth chargescould be carried.[10][11][b]The ship had a complement of 168 officers and men.[5][7]

Second World War service

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After commissioning and work-up,Beaufort,commanded byStandish O'Grady Roche,[12]was assigned to the5th Destroyer Flotillaof theMediterranean Fleet,arriving at the flotilla's base atAlexandria,Egyptin February 1942.[13]On 12 February 1942,Beaufortleft Alexandria as part of the escort of eight destroyers and one anti-aircraft cruiser[c]for the three fast merchant ships of Malta-bound Convoy MW.9. The convoy came under air attack on 13 February, and one of the merchant ships,Clan Campbellwas hit and damaged, and forced to divert toTobruk.The next day, the merchant shipClan Chattanwas hit and sunk, whileRowallan Castlewas damaged and later scuttled.[14][15]The next convoy from Egypt to Malta, Convoy MW.10, took place in March. The 5th Flotilla, includingBeaufort,left Alexandria on 19 March on an anti-submarine sweep ahead of the main body of the convoy which left on 20 March. The destroyerHeythropfrom the 5th Flotilla was sunk byGerman submarineU-652on 20 March, with the remainder of the 5th Flotilla refuelling at Tobruk before joining up with the main body of the convoy. On 22 March Italian warships, including the battleshipLittorioand three heavy cruisers, attempted to attack, with the British deploying the cruisers and fleet destroyers against the surface threat, in theSecond Battle of Sirte,while the Hunts of the 5th Flotilla remained with the convoy. While the Italian surface force was driven off, the course changes needed to avoid the Italians meant that the convoy could not reach Malta under cover of darkness as planned, and two of the four transports,Clan CampbellandBreconshirewere hit by German and Italian bombers and sank before reaching Malta, while the remaining two merchant ships were sunk in harbour on 26 March before most of their cargo could be unloaded.[16][17][18][19]

On 13 June 1942, another convoy set out for Malta from Egypt, under the codenameOperation Vigorous,while at the same time,Operation Harpoon,the passage of another convoy from the west, sailed fromGibraltar.Beaufortformed part of the close escort for Vigorous. Heavy air attacks and the appearance of the Italian battle fleet, forced Vigorous to be abandoned, with the convoy turning back to Egypt, with losses of the cruiserHermione,the destroyersAiredale,HastyandNestor,and two merchant ships.[20][21]On the night of 11/12 July,Beaufort,together withDulverton,EridgeandHurworth,bombarded the Italian-held port ofMersa Matruh,with the four destroyers sinking the cargo shipSturla,which had been driven out of harbour by an attack byFleet Air ArmFairey Albacoretorpedo bombers.[22][23]On 13–15 September 1942,Beauforttook part inOperation Agreement,an unsuccessful raid against Tobruk, which resulted in the loss of the cruiserCoventryand the destroyersSikhandZulu.[24]

In July 1943,Beauforttook part in theAllied invasion of Sicily,escorting an assault convoy to the beachhead as part of Escort Group P,[25][26]while in September that year she supported theAllied landings at Salerno,on mainland Italy.[27][28]In October 1943,Beaufortwas deployed to theAegean Seafor theDodecanese Campaign,attempting unsuccessfully (withBelvoir) to intercept a German convoy on the night of 15/16 October.[29]On the night of 10/11 November 1943,Beaufort,in company withFaulknorand theGreek destroyerPindos,shelled German-heldKos.[30]On the nights of 12/13 and 13/14 November 1943, the three destroyers failed to find German shipping carrying invasion forces toLeros,[31]while on 12 November they bombarded German troops on Leros. Their efforts did not stop the German efforts, however, and Leros surrendered on 16 November.[30]On 22 January 1944, Beaufort took part in theAllied landings at Anzio,Italy,[32][33]and in August,Operation Dragoon,the Allied invasion of Southern France.[34][35]

Postwar service

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On 10 June 1945Beaufortarrived in Cardiff from the Mediterranean for a refit, however this was abandoned and she was towed to Devonport and placed in reserve.[36]In 1947, she was placed in Category C2 reserve, also known as "Extended Reserve", being kept in case of a future emergency, but requiring a major refit before re-entering service. In 1949, the Reserve Fleet was re-organised, withBeaufortclassified as in Category C Reserve, but this was a similar type of Extended Reserve.[37]

On 31 October 1951Beaufortwas loaned free of charge for a four-year period to theRoyal Norwegian Navy,and after a refit, entered service with the new nameHaugesund.[13]In 1954 she was fitted with lattice masts and twoSquid Anti-submarine mortars,in place of the 'X' gun turret on the aft of the ship.[38]In 1956,Haugesundwas sold outright to Norway.[13]She was scrapped in 1965.[12]

KNMHaugesundcirca 1960.

Notes

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  1. ^A design error caused the first Hunt,Atherstoneto be dangerously unstable when built. The first 23 Hunts had a twin 4-inch mount removed, the ships' superstructure cut down and ballast fitted in order to restore adequate stability.[2]
  2. ^While Lenton and Friedman both state a capacity of 110 depth charges,[10][11]Gardiner and Chesneau give a capacity of 30 or 60 charges.[7]
  3. ^The cruiserCarlisle,the fleet destroyerLanceand the Hunt-class destroyersAvon Vale,Eridge,Heythrop,Beaufort,Dulverton,HurworthandSouthwold.[14]

References

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  1. ^abEnglish 1987,p. 17.
  2. ^English 1987,pp. 10–11.
  3. ^English 1987,pp. 11–12.
  4. ^Manning & Walker 1959,p. 101.
  5. ^abLenton 1970,p. 89.
  6. ^English 1987,p. 12.
  7. ^abcGardiner & Chesneau 1980,p. 47.
  8. ^Lenton 1970,pp. 85, 89.
  9. ^Whitley 2000,p. 145.
  10. ^abLenton 1970,p. 87.
  11. ^abFriedman 2008,p. 319.
  12. ^abHelgason, Guðmundur."HMS Beaufort (L 14)".Allied Warships of WWII.Uboat.net.Retrieved23 March2011.
  13. ^abcEnglish 1987,p. 32.
  14. ^abRohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 122.
  15. ^Roskill 1956,pp. 47–48.
  16. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 130.
  17. ^Barnett 2000,pp. 497–503.
  18. ^Roskill 1956,pp. 51–55.
  19. ^English 1987,pp. 32, 68.
  20. ^Roskill 1956,pp. 63, 67–71.
  21. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,pp. 145–146.
  22. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 150.
  23. ^English 1987,pp. 56, 59.
  24. ^"Mediterranean Fleet - July to September 1942".Admiralty War Diaries of World War 2.Naval-history.net. 16 July 2011.Retrieved22 May2022.
  25. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 222.
  26. ^Winser 2002,p. 91.
  27. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 232.
  28. ^Winser 2002,p. 104.
  29. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 240.
  30. ^abO'Hara 2009,Chapter 13: Germany's War 1943–45: Improvise and Dare: The Aegean 1943.
  31. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 245.
  32. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 257.
  33. ^Winser 2002,p. 109.
  34. ^Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992,p. 297.
  35. ^Winser 2002,p. 118.
  36. ^Critchley 1982,p. 35.
  37. ^English 1987,pp. 6, 32.
  38. ^Blackman 1963,p. 188.

Bibliography

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  • Barnett, Correlli(2000).Engage The Enemy More Closely.London: Penguin.ISBN0-141-39008-5.
  • Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1963).Jane's Fighting Ships 1963–64.London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.
  • 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.ISBN978-1-86176-281-8.
  • English, John (1987).The Hunts: A history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II.World Ship Society.ISBN0-905617-44-4.
  • Critchley, Mike (1982).British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers.Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books.ISBN0-9506323-9-2.
  • Friedman, Norman (2008).British Destroyers and Frigates: The Second World War and After.Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-015-4.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980).Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946.London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN0-85177-146-7.
  • O'Hara, Vincent P. (2009).Struggle for the Middle Sea: The Great Navies at War in the Mediterranean Theater, 1910–1945.Annapolis, Maryland, US: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-61251-408-6.
  • Lenton, H. T. (1970).Navies of the Second World War: British Fleet & Escort Destroyers Volume Two.London: Macdonald & Co.ISBN0-356-03122-5.
  • Manning, T. D.; Walker, C. F. (1959).British Warship Names.London: Putnam.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945.London: Greenhill Books.ISBN1-85367-117-7.
  • Roskill, Stephen(1956).The War at Sea 1939–1945: Volume II: The Period of Balance.History of the Second World War: United Kingdom Military Series. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
  • Whitley, M. J. (2000).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia.London: Cassell & Co.ISBN1-85409-521-8.
  • Winser, John de S. (2002).British Invasion Fleets: The Mediterranean and Beyond 1942–1945.Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society.ISBN0-9543310-0-1.
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