- Yes
- No
0 voters
- Yes, I would like all of the other variants.
- Yes, I would like one of the 4 Inch O Class Destroyers.
- Yes, I would like a P Class Destroyers.
- Yes, I Would like a of the three Type 16 Frigate.
- No, I wouldn’t like any more.
0 voters
Brief Summary:
The HMS Onslow (G17) is the destroyer leader of the O Class of British destroyers. Designed before the outbreak of the war to be as an medium sized destroyers in the middle of the smaller Hunt Class escort destroyers and the larger Tribal Class Destroyers. She like 3 other O Class Destroyers where built with 4.7Inch (120mm) cannons in mind with the other 4 of the O class being built with the smaller 4.0Inch (102mm) cannons.
History:
During the Interwar years the British navy was primary equipped with many much older classes of destroyers such as the V&W and S Classes of the early interwar period the British Empire needed to constantly produce newer Destroyers to keep it’s naval dominance in check starting with the early 1930’s built A&B classes and slowly working the way through many classes of Destroyers for the 1930’s to compete with both the newer hoards of American destroyers being built alongside the threat of the Japanese navy.
During 1938 the Admiralty had developed the idea of a Destroyer class designed to be in-between the size of a large destroyer (such as the Tribal Class) and a escort destroyer (such as the Hunt Class). These destroyers were intended to replace the outdated old V&W Classes of destroyer still in the service in the navy since with some being in service since 1917.
The Class was to be fitted with the 120mm mounts, multi-barrelled Pom-Poms, two quadruple 12.7mm MG’s and two quadruple TT making the ships almost identical in armaments to the H class based on the specified designs.
The Role of the Onslow and other O class destroyers was to be larger escorts that could be more versatile in fighting other destroyers whilst also being able to combat submarines. All 8 O Class destroyers where launched in 1940 and would be built between 1941-42 and would serve as the first emergency flotilla whilst the second emergency flotilla would be that of the P class of similar ships. Unlike the P class though O classes where split into 4 ships which had been armed with 120mm mounts whilst the other 4 would be armed with 102mm mounts. All O class ships would survive the war.
HMS Onslow was commissioned on the 23rd of September 1941 with her construction being completed on the 8th of October. She would immediately sent to the Home fleet and later becoming a destroyer leader during the Artic Convoy missions of 1941 being sent there and being attacked by a German bomber on the 28th of November 1941 during the flotillas passing of Kola Inlet. Later in December of the same year she would take part in Operation Archery attacking costal convoys and capturing an Enigma cypher machine.
In 1942 Onslow would continue to escort in the Artic which also involved the unsuccessful attempt to search for the German battleship Tirpitz. She would later find herself in the service of the Mediterranean Sea to take part in Operation Harpoon which she would escort until she reached the Strait of Sicily in which she returned back to the Home Fleet in order to escort in the Artic once again. She would yet against escort another convoy to Malta in Operation Pedestal in August. During September she would escort in Artic and come across a heavy German attack of both submarines and aircraft, she would later find and sink U-589. In November she would help in Operation Torch escorting convoys whilst in December she would fight a German taskforce lead by the Admiral Hipper in the Battle of the Barents Sea, she would take 3 hits from the Admiral Hipper and be set on fire however she managed to fend of and keep the Hipper away from getting closer with dummy torpedoes allowing time for HMS Sheffield and Jamaica to arrive and turn the tide of the battle.
For the last few years of the war she would continue to escort in the Artic with a couple detours such as Operation Neptune on D-day to aid the Allies into securing Northern France. After the war she would continue to be in the Home Fleet and later the reserve fleet until on the 30th of September 1949 she was sold to Pakistan. Being commissioned under a new name Tippu Sultan she would serve as a fleet destroyer until 1957 where she was converted into an anti submarine frigate and remained in the Pakistani fleet until 1960. She would remain on the active list until 1980 where she was scrapped making her the last of the O Class destroyers to be scrapped.
Model of HMS Offa from Tamiya and an example of an O class paint scheme
Technical Data:
Hull:
Max Speed, Knots, KN: 37
Displacement Standard, T: 1540-1550
Displacement Full, T: 2220-2270 (Later 2365-2430)
Power, HP: 40000
Length, M: 100.2 pp, 105.2 oa
Breadth, M: 10.7
Draught, M: 4.11 (Later 4.24-4.32 in deep load)
Complement: 176-212
fuel, T: Oil 472
Electronic Equipment: Most presumable would be from a Type 285, 286P radars and type 144 sonar.
Armament:
4x1 - 120/45 QF Mk IX
1x1 - 102/45 QF Mk V
1x4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII
4x1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV
1x4 - 533 TT
2 DCT
2 DCR
30 DC
Other O Class and P Class destroyer types:
Other than the Onslow other ships of the O and P Classes would be armed differently and would also have other roles. Here is a few of the other Armaments and Specifications:
O Class (Obdurate Obedient, Opportune, Orwell)
HMS Obedient above
Specifications the same as the O and P class.
Armaments:
4x1 - 102x45 QF Mk V
1x4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII
4x1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV
2x4 533 TT
2 DCT
2 DCR
30 DC
60 Mines
P Class:
HMS Penn above
Armaments:
5x1 - 102/45 QF Mk V
1x4 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk VIII
4x1 - 20/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV
1x4 533 TT
4 DCT
2 DCR
70 DC
Type 16 Frigates
3 ships of the O,P Classes where converted into a Type 16 Frigate those being the HMS Orwell (G98), HMS Paladin (G69) and HMS Petard (G56) all becoming F98, F169 and F56 respectively
Specification:
Max Speed, Knots, KN: 36.75
Displacement Standard, T: 1793
Displacement Full, T: 2593
Power, HP: 40000
Length, M: 103.5 pp, 109.2 oa
Breadth, M: 10.9
Draught, M: 4.9 deep load
Complement: 170-180
fuel, T: Oil 472
Electronic Equipment: Type 293Q, 974 radars, Type 170, 174P Sonars, UA-3 ECM Suite
Armament:
1x2 - 102/45 Mk 19
1x2 - 40/60 Mk 5
3x1 - 40/60 Mk 9
1x4 - 533 TT
2x3 - 305 Squid Mk 3 ASWRL
(on the F98, F169 they could also carry up to 60 mines)
Sources:
“O” and “P” destroyers (ORIBI) (16, 1941 - 1942) (navypedia.org)
HMS Onslow, destroyer (naval-history.net)
O and P-class destroyer - Wikipedia
The “O” and “P” Class fleet destroyers | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)
Blueprints > Ships > Destroyers (UK) > HMS Onslow (Destroyer) (1942) (the-blueprints.com)