HMSZetland(L59)
 Zetlandin August 1943
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSZetland |
| Namesake | Zetland Hunt |
| Ordered | 20 December 1939 |
| Builder | Yarrow Shipbuilders,Glasgow |
| Laid down | 2 October 1940 |
| Launched | 7 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 27 June 1942 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate |
|
| Badge | On a Field Black. within a horseshoe inverted White, a lion's face Gold. |
 Norway | |
| Name | HNoMSTromsø |
| Acquired |
|
| Identification | Pennant number:D311 changed to F311 after 1956 |
| Fate | Sold for breaking up in 1965 |
| Notes | Transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy 31 October 1954 at South Shields Co Durham. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type II Hunt-classdestroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 85.34 m (280.0 ft) |
| Beam | 9.62 m (31.6 ft) |
| Draught | 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines; 19,000 shp |
| Speed | 25.5 kn (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph) |
| Range | 3,600 nmi (6,670 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Complement | 164 |
| Armament |
|
HMSZetlandwas aRoyal NavyType IIHunt-classdestroyer,named after theZetland Hunt.
Built byYarrow Shipbuilders,Glasgowand launched on 7 March 1942. She was commissioned on 27 June 1942 with thepennant numberL59.Zetlandwas given to theRoyal Norwegian Navyand commissioned as HNoMSTromsø.She was sold for breaking up in 1965.
Construction
[edit]HMSZetlandwas ordered fromYarrowson 20 December 1939, one of 16 Type II Hunt-class destroyers ordered from various shipbuilders on that date, (including two from Yarrows).[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]
Zetlandwaslaid downat Yarrow'sScotstoun,Glasgowshipyard on 2 October 1940, waslaunchedon 15 January 1942 and completed on 7 May 1942.[1][b]
Zetlandwas 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).[6]277 long tons (281 t) of oil were carried, 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)).[7]
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.[8][9]Power-operated twin Oerlikon mounts replaced the single Oerlikons during the war.[10]Up to 110depth chargescould be carried.[11][12][c]The ship had a complement of 168 officers and men.[6][8]
Second World War service
[edit]During theSecond World War,Zetlandsaw service in the Atlantic (1942–43),Malta Convoys(1942), north Africa (1942–43), Mediterranean (1943–44), Aegean (1944), Adriatic (1944) andOperation Dragoon,the landings in southern France in 1944.
Air Raid on Bari
[edit]Zetlandwas one of two Hunt-class destroyers that were damaged in theair raid on Barion 2 December 1943. An ammunition ship was hit and exploded, spreading her cargo ofmustard gasover the harbour and town.Zetlandwas near-missed by a German bomb, and subject to blast and fragment damage from the explosion of two nearby merchant ships.Zetland's sister ship,Bicesterwas damaged more seriously.ZetlandtowedBicestertoTarantofor repairs.[13][14][15]There were so many mustard gas casualties that, on arrival in Taranto, the ships had to ask for assistance to enter the harbour as all navigating officers had their vision impaired by this chemical weapon.[16]
Postwar service
[edit]Between June and October 1945Zetlandwas in refit in Alexandria, before returning to the UK. On 20 April 1946 she paid off into reserve and was assigned to the Solent DivisionRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve(RNVR) as a drill ship. On 2 September 1954 she was lent to Norway. She was broken up in 1965 at Sarpsborg shipbreakers.[17]
Notes
[edit]- ^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]
- ^Although not explicitly mentioned in English or Mason, it is possible that construction was delayed by the same German air raid that delayed completion ofOakleyat Yarrow.[4][5]
- ^While Lenton and Friedman both state a capacity of 110 depth charges,[11][12]Gardiner and Chesneau give a capacity of 30 or 60 charges.[8]
Citations
[edit]- ^abEnglish 1987, p. 17.
- ^English 1987, pp. 10–11.
- ^English 1987, pp. 11–12.
- ^English 1987, p. 87.
- ^abLenton 1970, p. 89.
- ^English 1987, p. 12.
- ^abcGardiner and Chesneau 1980, p. 47.
- ^Lenton 1970, pp. 85, 89.
- ^Whitley 2000, p. 145.
- ^abLenton 1970, p. 87.
- ^abFriedman 2008, p. 319.
- ^Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 249.
- ^English 1987, pp. 35, 105.
- ^H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action1952, p. 247.
- ^Southern, George (2002).Poisonous Inferno: WWII Tragedy at Bari Harbour.Airlife Publishing Ltd.ISBN184037389X.
- ^Critchley, Mike, "British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers", Maritime Books: Liskeard, UK, 1982.ISBN0-9506323-9-2,page 39
Publications
[edit]- 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.
- Critchley, Mike (1982).British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers.Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books.ISBN0-9506323-9-2.
- 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.Kendal, UK: World Ship Society.ISBN0-905617-44-4.
- 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.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995).Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995.Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-132-7.
- H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action: 3rd. SEPT. 1939 to 2nd. SEPT. 1945(PDF).Admiralty. 1952. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 10 June 2016.Retrieved19 November2016.
- Lenton, H.T. (1970).Navies of the Second World War: British Fleet & Escort Destroyers Volume Two.London: Macdonald & Co.ISBN0-356-03122-5.
- Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945.London: Greenhill Books.ISBN1-85367-117-7.
- Southern, George (2002).Poisonous Inferno: WWII Tragedy at Bari Harbour.Airlife Publishing Ltd.ISBN184037389X.
- Whitley, M.J. (2000).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia.London: Cassell & Co.ISBN1-85409-521-8.
