Town-class destroyer
The Town-class destroyers were a group of 50 destroyers of the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy that were in service during the Second World War. They were transferred from the United States Navy in exchange for military bases in the British West Indies and Newfoundland, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between Britain and United States, signed on 2 September 1940. They were known as "four-pipers" or "four-stackers" because they had four smokestacks. Later classes of destroyers typically had one or two.
Some went to the Royal Canadian Navy at the outset. Others went on to the Royal Norwegian Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the Soviet Navy after serving with the Royal Navy. Although given a set of names by the Commonwealth navies that suggested they were one class they actually came from three classes of destroyer:,, and. "Town class" refers to the Admiralty's practice of renaming these ships after towns common to the United States and the British Commonwealth. Ships initially commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy, however, followed the Canadian practice of giving destroyers the names of Canadian rivers. The rivers selected for the Town class were on the border between Canada and the United States, with the exception of the Nova Scotia river sharing the name of the United States Naval Academy location.
One of the Towns achieved lasting fame: . In the Commando raid Operation Chariot, Campbeltown, fitted with a large demolition charge, rammed the gates of the Normandie dock at Saint-Nazaire, France. The charge detonated on 29 March 1942, breaching the drydock and destroying Campbeltown, thus destroying the only drydock on the Atlantic coast capable of accepting the. This exploit was depicted in the 1950 Trevor Howard film The Gift Horse, which starred after her return from service in Russia.
Characteristics
Built for service during the First World War, but in the main completed after the end of that conflict, the flush-deckers were, by 1940, the oldest destroyers in the US Navy, and many had been mothballed for the inter-war period.While contemporaneous to the British s they were not much liked by their crews. While the V and W classes set a new standard for destroyer design, the flush-deckers were already obsolescent by comparison. They were uncomfortable and wet, working badly in a seaway. Their hull lines were rather narrow and 'herring-gutted' which gave them a vicious roll. The officers didn't like the way they handled either, since they had been built with propellers that turned the same way, so these were as awkward to handle as single-screw ships. Their turning circle was enormous, as big as most Royal Navy battleships, making them difficult to use in a submarine hunt which demanded tight manoeuvres, compounded by unreliable "chain and cog" steering gear laid across the main deck. They also had fully enclosed bridges which caused problems with reflections in the glass at night. One Royal Canadian Navy corvette captain described them as "the most dubious gift since the Trojan Horse".
However, despite their disadvantages they were a welcome addition to forces escorting convoys in the Atlantic at a time when the U-boats, operating from newly acquired bases on the Atlantic coast of France were becoming an increasingly serious threat to British shipping. They were also seen as an :wikt:earnest#Etymology 2|earnest of the United States’ commitment to support Britain against Nazism.
The original armament was four 4-inch guns, one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, and twelve torpedo tubes. On the Wickes-class, the 4-inch gun placement was one gun in a shield on the forecastle, one on the quarterdeck and one each side on a platform between the number 2 and number 3 funnels. The Admiralty promptly removed one of the 4-inch guns and six torpedo tubes to improve stability. Twenty-three of the class had further armament reductions for anti-submarine escort of trade convoys. Two of the remaining 4-inch guns and three of the remaining torpedo tubes were removed to allow increased depth charge stowage and installation of Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar system.
Ships in class by origin
The ships were divided by the Royal Navy into four groups based on their characteristics.- Type A corresponded to the 20 ships of the, having a standard displacement of 1190 tons powered by geared turbines that produced a maximum speed of 28.5 knots. They were armed with four single 4inch guns and one 3 inch anti-aircraft gun, with triple 21" torpedo tubes. Overall length was 314 ft 4in, beam 31ft 8in and draught 12ft 10in.
- Type B were the 12 ships of the built to plans prepared by the Bath Iron Works. These were lighter than the type A ships, with a displacement of 1090 tons but they had the same armament and machinery with a slightly better speed of 28.75 kt.
- Type C were the 15 ships of the Wickes-class built to plans prepared by Bethlehem Steel, with a displacement of 1060 tons and an improved speed of 29.75 kt.
- Type D were the 3 ships of the, smaller again at 1020 tons, with a gun armament of 4 single 3" guns and built with direct drive turbines, but having a speed of 30 kt. The type D vessels were recognizable also in having only 3 funnels.
| Type A | Type B | Type C | Type D | |
| Standard disp. | 1190t | 1090t | 1060t | 1020t |
| Full load disp. | 1725t | 1530t | 1530t | 1445t |
| Length | 314' 4" | 314' 4" | 314' 4" | 315' 6" |
| Beam | 31' 8" | 31' 0" | 31' 8" | 31' 2" |
| Draught | 12' 10" | 11' 11" | 11' 11" | 11' 0" |
| Machinery | geared turbines | geared turbines | geared turbines | direct drive turbines |
| Boilers | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Shafts | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Speed | 28.5 kt | 28.75 kt | 29.75 kt | 30 kt |
| Armament | 4x1 4 in. gun 1x1 3 in. AA 4x3 21 in. TT | 4x1 4 in. gun 1x1 3 in. AA 4x3 21 in. TT | 4x1 4 in. gun 1x1 3 in. AA 4x3 21 in. TT | 4x1 3/50 gun 1x1 3/23 AA 4x3 21 in. TT |
Assigned to Royal Canadian Navy
| Name | Type | ex- USN | Class | Builder | Completed | Transferred |
| C | Union Iron Works | 25 July 1919 | 29 September 1940 | |||
| C | Wickes | Seattle Dry Dock Co. | 6 June 1919 | 24 September 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 14 January 1919 | 26 September 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 1 March 1919 | 29 September 1940 | ||
| A | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 30 April 1919 | 24 September 1940 | |||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 30 June 1919 | 24 September 1940 |
Assigned to Royal Navy
| Name | Type | ex- USN | Class | Builder | Completed | Transferred |
| C | Newport News SB Co. | 21 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 | |||
| A | Newport News SB Co. | 22 December 1919 | 8 October 1940 | |||
| A | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 3 April 1920 | 8 October 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 5 September 1919 | 8 October 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 17 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 28 February 1920 | 2 October 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 8 June 1920 | 8 October 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 26 July 1919 | 8 October 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 17 March 1919 | 8 October 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 24 April 1919 | 8 October 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 12 June 1919 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 2 September 1919 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 20 January 1919 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 21 April 1919 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 18 July 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 6 August 1919 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 25 June 1920 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 17 April 1920 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Newport News SB Co. | 21 May 1920 | 9 September 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 10 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 29 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 25 August 1919 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | New York SB Co. | 28 July 1919 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| D | Cramp | 12 January 1918 | 23 October 1940 | |||
| D | Caldwell | Norfolk Navy Yard | 19 October 1918 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Cramp | 29 November 1918 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| D | Caldwell | Cramp | 26 November 1917 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 11 November 1918 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Bath Iron Works | 31 July 1918 | 25 October 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 14 November 1918 | 5 December 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Union Iron Works | 19 October 1918 | 5 December 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 14 May 1918 | 5 December 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 8 September 1919 | 26 November 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 27 June 1919 | 26 November 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Mare Island Navy Yard | 6 April 1918 | 26 November 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 2 July 1919 | 26 November 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Squantum | 31 July 1919 | 26 November 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Bethlehem Steel Fore River | 21 March 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Mare Island Navy Yard | 13 September 1919 | 5 December 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 25 April 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| C | Wickes | Newport News SB Co. | 26 August 1919 | 23 September 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 22 July 1919 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| A | Clemson | Bethlehem Steel Quincy | 19 May 1919 | 23 October 1940 | ||
| B | Wickes | Charleston Navy Yard | 30 April 1921 | 5 December 1940 |
Ships in class by operator
Royal Canadian Navy
| Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
| 29 September 1940 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to training ship April 1944 | towed to Boston for scrapping on 22 June 1945. | ||
| August 1942 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to training ship August 1943 | She was scrapped on 21 March 1946. | ||
| 24 September 1940 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to replenishment hulk Feb 1944 | She was scrapped on 7 August 1945. | ||
| June 1941 | convoy escort with WLEF; relegated to tender August 1943 | lost while being towed to Boston for scrapping in 1945. | ||
| 26 September 1940 | on 28 August 1941 Niagara was involved in the capture of U-570, which had surrendered to an RAF Hudson the previous day | She was scrapped by the end of 1947. | ||
| 29 September 1940 | convoy escort with NEF, then WLEF. relegated to submarine depot ship 1943 | She was scrapped on 5 March 1946. | ||
| 24 September 1940 | escorting convoy ON 113 she attacked and sank U-90 on 27 July 1942; escorting convoy KMS-10, St Croix and sank U-87 | while escorting the combined convoys ONS 18/ON 202, St Croix was twice torpedoed by U-305 and sunk on 20 September 1943; survivors were taken aboard the frigate, which was sunk on 22 September with very heavy loss of life; only one of St Croix's crew of 147 survived. | ||
| 24 September 1940 | convoy escort with MOEF; relegated to training early 1944 | She was wrecked while being towed for scrapping on 14 July 1945. |
RCN (loaned from the Royal Navy)
Royal Navy
| Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate | ||
| 23 September 1940 | to Norway as in April 1941 | lost on 19 August 1941) | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | while escorting troop convoy NA-2 from St. John's, Newfoundland, Belmont was torpedoed by U-82 on 31 January 1942 and sank with the loss of her entire ship's company. | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | she attacked and sank U-187 on 4 February 1942. | Beverley was torpedoed by U-188 on 11 April 1943 and was sunk with the loss of all but four of the ship's company of 152. | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | consigned for scrapping in August 1946. | ||||
| 23 September 1940 | to the Soviet Union as Zarkij on 16 July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 4 March 1949 | She was scrapped on 18 May 1949. | ||||
| 2 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | escorting convoy SC 48 between St. John's, Newfoundland and Iceland, Broadwater was torpedoed by U-101 and sunk on 18 October 1941. | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | while escorting convoy OB 318, Broadway took part in the attack on U-110 on 9 May 1941; abandoned by its crew, U-110 was boarded and taken in tow. Escorting convoy HX 237, Broadway located and sank U-89 in the North Atlantic on 14 May 1943 | allocated for scrapping in March 1948. | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 2 December 1948. | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | one of the ships involved in the recovery of U-570 after its surrender to an RAF aircraft | consigned for scrapping in March 1947. | ||||
| 8 October 1940 | to Canada as in August 1942 | Scrapped 21 March 1946 | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 7 June 1945. | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | Cameron never reached operational service; hit and set on fire by an air raid in Portsmouth on 5 December 1940, she was considered by the U.S. Navy as the worst damaged but surviving destroyer available and was extensively studied for explosive effects and damage control | consigned for scrapping on 1 December 1944. | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | to Netherlands as in March 1941; Returned September 1941 | she was destroyed in Operation Chariot, 28 March 1942 | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 2 January 1948. | ||||
| 23 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 3 December 1948. | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | to Canada as in November 1942; to the Soviet Union as Derzki in July 1944 | returned and scrapped 1949 | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 3 December 1948. | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | to the Soviet Union as Dejatelny in July 1944 | lost on 16 January 1945 | ||||
| 9 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 18 February 1947. | ||||
| 23 September 1940 | to Canada as in September 1942; to the Soviet Union as Zostki in August 1944. | returned and scrapped September 1952 | ||||
| 23 September 1940 | to Canada as in June 1941 | sold for scrap July 1945, sank under tow to breakers | ||||
| 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped on 30 May 1947. | ||||
| 23 October 1940 | to Canada as in November 1942; to the Soviet Union as Zguchi in July 1944 | 23 October 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | stripped of usable parts, Sherwood was beached on 3 October 1943 as a target for RAF rocket-equipped Beaufighters. | ||
| 23 September 1940 | to Norway as in April 1941; to the Soviet Union as Dostojny in July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 28 February 1949 | towed for scrapping on 18 May 1949. | ||||
| 23 September 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped in December 1945. | ||||
| 23 October 1940 | escorting convoy HG 76 from Gibraltar, Stanley and accompanying vessels sank U-131 on 17 December 1941 and U-434 on the following day | Stanley was sunk by U-574 on 19 December 1941 with the loss of all but 25 of her crew. | ||||
| 5 December 1940 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | She was scrapped February 1946. |
Royal Netherlands Navy
| Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
| March 1941 | Returned to RN service in Sept 1941 as | expended 28 March 1942 in Operation Chariot |
Royal Norwegian Navy
| Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
| 9 April 1941 | convoy escort with Western Approaches Command | while escorting convoy OG 71 between Liverpool and Gibraltar, Bath was torpedoed by U-204 on 19 August 1941 and sank rapidly. | ||
| February 1942 | to RCN as in July 1942; to Soviet Union as Druzhny on 26 August 1944; returned to Royal Navy on 24 August 1952 | Scrapped on 3 September 1952. | ||
| December 1940 | to RCN as in September 1942 | sold on 24 October 1944 for scrapping. | ||
| March 1941 | returned to RN in June 1942 | scrapped 1947. | ||
| 14 April 1941 | while with convoy SL 81, St Albans took part in the sinking of U-401 on 3 August 1941; encountered the Polish submarine Jastrzab, and in company with the minesweeper Seagull, attacked and sank it in early 1942; transferred to the Soviet Union as Dostoinyi on 16 July 1944; returned to the Royal Navy on 28 February 1949 | towed for scrapping on 18 May 1949. |
Soviet Navy
| Name | Ex- | Date acquired | Service | Fate |
| 16 July 1944 | convoy escort in the Arctic Ocean | torpedoed and sunk by U-956 on 16 January 1945 while escorting a White Sea convoy; the last war loss of the class and the only one of the destroyers transferred to the Soviet Union to be lost. | ||
| 16 July 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 24 June 1949 | Scrapped on 27 July 1949. | ||
| 10 August 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 7 February 1949 | Scrapped on 14 May 1949. | ||
| 16 July 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 28 February 1949 | towed for scrapping on 18 May 1949. | ||
| 26 August 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 24 August 1952 | Scrapped on 3 September 1952. | ||
| 16 July 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 4 March 1949 | Scrapped on 18 May 1949. | ||
| 17 July 1944 | returned on 15 November 1950 | Scrapped on 3 December 1951. | ||
| 16 June 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 26 June 1949 | Scrapped on 29 June 1949. | ||
| August 1944 | returned to the Royal Navy on 9 September 1952 | Scrapped on 16 September 1952. |