Anzac class destroyer (1916)

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Anzac class leader

General Characteristics
Displacement: 1,670 tons
Length: 325 ft
Beam: 31 ft 9 in
Draught: 10 ft 6 in
Propulsion: Yarrow-type boilers, steam turbines, 3 shafts, 36,000 shp
Speed: 34 kts
Range: 415 tons oil, ?
Complement: 116
Armament: 4 x 4 in L/40 QF Mark IV, mounting P Mk. IX
1 x 12 pdr (3 in) QF Mark II, mounting HA Mk.?
2 x single 2 pdr "pom-pom" Mk. II 2 x twin tubes for 21 in torpedoes

The Anzac class leaders were a class of destroyer leaders completed for the Royal Navy during 1916 for World War I service. They were named after famed historical naval leaders, except Anzac, which was named to honour the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. They were the last major Royal Navy warships to be ordered with three shafts, a design that was never widely adopted in British warships.


Anzac class leader
General Characteristics
Displacement:	1,670 tons
Length:	325 ft
Beam:	31 ft 9 in
Draught:	10 ft 6 in
Propulsion:	Yarrow-type boilers, steam turbines, 3 shafts, 36,000 shp
Speed:	34 kts
Range:	415 tons oil, ?
Complement:	116
Armament:	4 x 4 in L/40 QF Mark IV, mounting P Mk. IX 1 x 12 pdr (3 in) QF Mark II, mounting HA Mk.? 2 x single 2 pdr "pom-pom" Mk. II 2 x twin tubes for 21 in torpedoes

The Anzacs were based on the design of the preceding Marksman class leaders but, significantly, the bridge was moved aft (requiring 3 funnels, instead of the 4 in the Marksmans). This allowed a superfiring gun to be added on a shelter deck. This crucial design change was to set the trend for future designs. It allowed for 2 forward guns with unobstructed training arcs (previous designs often had guns side-by-side), but more significantly, the elevated "B" gun was workable in heavy seas. This increased the fighting efficiency of destroyers, previously limited by seas breaking across the fo'c'sle making the guns unworkable.

Another design improvement over previous types was the adoption of director-controlled firing. Rather than allowing individual gun crews to lay and fire their guns, the firing solution was worked out on a central director table (a type of mechanical computer), supplied with target information by a sight and rangefinder carried on the bridge. Firing was directly commanded by the gunnery officer, improving accuracy, and this system was adopted as standard from the pioneering "V and W" class of 1917 onwards.

Ships

Name	Pennant	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Anzac	G00	William Denny, Dumbarton	January 31 1916	January 11 1917	April 24 1917	To Royal Australian Navy, 1919
Grenville	G95	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead	June 19 1915	June 16 1916	November 11 1916	Scrapped by 1935
Saumarez	H08	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead	March 2 1916	November 14 1916	December 21 1916	Scrapped by 1935
Seymour	D09	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead	December 23 1915	August 31 1916	December 30 1916	Scrapped by 1935
Parker	G60	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead	June 19 1915	August 16 1916	November 13 1916	Scrapped by 1935
Hoste	G90	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead	July 1 1915	June 17 1916	November ? 1916	Lost in collision with destroyer Negro December 21 1916 off Shetland Islands

Bibliography

Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981, Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan ISBN 0711010757
Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919, Jane's Publishing

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