G and H class destroyer

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The G and H class destroyers were a class of twenty-four destroyers of the Royal Navy (two later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and one to the Polish Navy) launched in 1935–1939. They served in World War II and seventeen were lost. Other ships were built for foreign navies.

Contents

1 General characteristics
2 Royal Navy ships

2.1 G class
2.2 H class
2.3 ''Havant'' class

3 Argentinian ships
4 Acre class (Brazil)
5
6 Sources and references
7 External links

General characteristics

Source Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946

Displacement: 1,340 tons standard, 1980 tons deep load
Length: 323 ft (98 m)
Beam: 33 ft
Draught: 12 ft 5 inch (13 ft 4 inch deep load)
Complement: 145 men
Armament: four 4.7 inch (120 mm) guns, two 0.5 inch (13 mm) AA machine guns, eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 45 depth charges. Later during the war some ships were modified as escort destroyers with fewer 4.7 inch guns and the Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar. The ex-Brazillian ships had only three 4.7 inch guns but carried 110 depth charges.
Speed: 36 knots (70 km/h)
Propulsion: Parsons geared turbines, 2 shafts, 34,000 hp (30 MW)
Grenville and Hardy were built as destroyer leaders or flotilla flagships and were somewhat larger.
Displacement: 1456 tons standard
Length: 337 ft
Armament: five single 4.7 inch guns, 8 torpedo tubes

Other details as rest of the class

Royal Navy ships

G class

Gallant, built by Stephen, launched on 26 September 1935, destroyed by air attack at Malta on 5 April 1942.
Garland, built by Fairfield, Govan, launched on 24 October 1935. Transferred to the Polish Navy as ORP Garland in 1940. Post war transferred to Dutch navy and scrapped in 1964.
Gipsy, built by Fairfield, Govan, launched on 7 November 1935, sunk by a mine near Harwich on 21 November 1939.
Glowworm, built by Thornycroft, launched on 22 July 1935, sunk while ramming the German cruiser Admiral Hipper on 8 April 1940.
Grafton, built by Thornycroft, launched on 18 September 1935, Sunk by U-62 on 29 May 1940.
Grenade, built by Stephen, launched on 12 November 1935, sunk by air attack at Dunkirk on 29 May 1940.
Grenville, built by Yarrow, Glasgow, launched on 15 August 1935, sunk by a mine on 19 January 1940.
Greyhound, built by Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow, launched on 15 August 1935, sunk by German dive-bombers in the battle of Crete on 22 May 1941.
Griffin, built by Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow, launched on 15 August 1935. Transferred to the Canada as HMCS Ottawa.

H class

Hero and Hereward introduced a new design of bridge that was to become standard on all Royal Navy fleet destroyers from the "I" class to the "Battle" class of 1944. This was necessary as Hereward carried a propotype 4.7 in mounting CP Mark XIX that was to be fitted to the "Tribal" and "J, K and N classes. This weapon had a trunion height 13 inches taller than the previous single mount CP Mark XVIII, therefore it was necessary to raise the wheelhouse in order that the helmsman had a forward field of view. As a result, the armoured wheelhouse was raised and placed forward of, rather than below, the bridge. This resulted in a characteristic "wedge" shape, with a sloping roof to give the bridge a view of the fo'c'sle.

Hardy, built by Cammell Laird, Birkinhead, launched on 7 April 1936, sunk by gunfire from German destroyer Georg Thiele on 10 April 1940 in the battle of Narvik.
Hasty, built by Denny, launched on 5 May 1936, torpedoed by the German motor torpedo boat S-55 on 14 June 1942, sunk near Derna by Hotspur on 15 June 1942.
Havock, built by Denny, launched on 7 July 1936, grounded near Kelibia, Tunisia and scuttled on 6 April 1942.
Hereward, built by Vickers Armstrong, Tyne, launched on 10 March 1936, sunk by German Ju 87 dive-bombers near Plaka, Crete on 29 May 1941.
Hero, built by Vickers Armstrong, Tyne, launched on 10 March 1936. Transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Chaudiere.
Hostile, built by Scott, Glasgow, launched on 24 January 1936, damaged by a mine on 23 August 1940 and sunk by Hero.
Hotspur, built by Scott, Glasgow, launched on 23 March 1936.
Hunter, built by Swan Hunter, Tyne, launched on 25 February 1936, sunk by German destroyers on 10 April 1940 in the battle of Narvik.
Hyperion, built by Swan Hunter, Tyne, launched on 8 April 1936, sunk by a mine near Pantelleria on 22 December 1940.

Havant class

HMS Hesperus wearing dazzle camouflage in 1940, showing the angular bridge front that was fitted to Hero, Hereward and the ex-Brazilian ships.

These six ships were ordered by the Brazilian Navy but on the outbreak of World War II they were requisitioned by the Royal Navy. They are usually included with the H class.

Harvester, formerly Handy, originally Jurua, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, launched on 29 September 1939, sunk by U-432 on 11 March 1943.
Havant, originally Javary, built by J. Samuel White , launched on 17 July 1939, damaged by air attack during the battle of Dunkirk on 1 June 1940 and sunk by HMS Saltash.
Havelock, originally Jutahy, built by J. Samuel White, launched on 16 October 1939 and broken up 1946.
Hesperus, formerly Hearty, originally Juruena, built by Thornycroft , launched on 1 August 1939, Broken up 1946.
Highlander, originally Juguaribe, built by Thornycroft, launched on 19 October 1939. Broken up in 1947.
Hurricane, originally Japarua, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, launched on 29 September 1939, sunk by U-415 on 24 December 1943.

Argentinian ships

Seven ships were built for the Argentine Navy as the Buenos Aires class, they were delivered in 1938.

Acre class (Brazil)

Brazil ordered six Jarua class ships from Britain in 1938. These ships were purchased by Britain on the outbreak of war in 1939 and are described above. The Brazillians decided to produce indegenous destroyers at the Ihla das Cobras shipayed, Rio de Janeiro, The design was based on the H class plans supplied by Britain but with 5 inch guns supplied by the USA. Although laid down in 1940, the ships were not completed until 1949-51.

Two ships, modified versions of the G class, were built for the Greeks.
Vasilefs Georgios: Damaged by German aircraft, she managed to reach the Salamis Navy Yard and was put in drydock for repairs, where after further damage during German air attacks, she was finally scuttled to prevent capture. The Germans raised and repaired her and she was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine as Hermes (ZG3) on 21 March 1942. Hermes was heavily damaged off Korbus on 30 April 1943 and scuttled on 7 May 1943.
Vasilissa Olga: escaped to Alexandria in May 1941 and joined the Allied forces. She was lost to German aircraft while anchored in Lakki Bay, Leros on 26 September 1943.

Sources and references

English, John. Amazon to Ivanhoe - British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s.
March, Edgar J. British Destroyers, 1892-1953.
Whitley, M.J. Destroyers of World War Two (London: Cassel, 2000)

External links

G and H class destroyers

Royal Navy

List of destroyers of the Royal Navy

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