The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the 9th, 10th, 13th and 14th of fourteen War Emergency Programmes during the First World War and generally treated as one class. For their time they were among the most powerful and advanced ships of their type in the world, and set the trend for future British designs.
They arrived in time to see service in the First World War. During the interwar period these ships formed the backbone of the Royal Navy's destroyer flotillas until gradually replaced by new construction; by the mid-1930s most had been displaced to the reserve fleet. Most ships survived to make an extensive contribution to the Second World War effort, in the vital role of convoy escort, freeing up more modern ships for fleet action.
History
The V and W class were the ultimate evolution of British destroyer design in the First World War, embodying the improvements of their predecessors as well as new technological advances. Their lineage can be traced to the River or E class of 1902 that had introduced the classic raised forecastle into the Royal Navy. The of 1905 introduced oil-firing and the resultant economies in size, consumption and crew. The of 1915 had introduced a raised shelter deck forwards, allowing two guns to be carried in the classic superfiring (i.e. one gun fires over the top of the one below and in front of it) "A" and "B" positions. The , also of 1915, introduced a three-boiler, two-funnel layout allowing for a more compact hull and giving increased deckspace and the introduced geared turbines giving on two shafts.
Design The new design, originally known as the Admiralty V-class leader, incorporated all these improvements, and also a more sensible layout of the main armament, the amidships gun between the funnels being removed to the aft shelter deck, superfiring over the gun on the quarterdeck. This introduced the ubiquitous "A", "B", "X", "Y" layout for the main armament. New developments, such as director firing for the main armament, triple torpedo tubes and a heavier armament were introduced either from the outset, or as they became available. Ships with triple tubes became the Admiralty W class and those with their armament upgraded to the BL 4.7 in gun became Admiralty Modified W-class ships.
Admiralty V-class leaders
The Admiralty V-class leaders were the initial five V-class ships ordered in April 1916 and were designed and built as flotilla leaders. These ships were necessary as the 36 knot speed of the new S class meant that existing flotilla leaders would no longer be able to keep pace with their charges. To speed construction time, these new vessels were based on the three-boiler, two-funnel machinery of the R class and as they were inevitably larger, a slight decrease in speed was accepted. The fore funnel was tall and narrow and the after one was shorter and wider.
They differed from the later Admiralty and the Thornycroft V classes in that they had a larger bridge structure, taller foremast, mainmast mounted further aft to accommodate an enlarged spread of wireless aerials, extra boats abreast the after funnel and the searchlight platform between the torpedo tubes was enlarged to accommodate an extra compass. Vampire trialled triple mounts for her torpedoes and as a result had a total of six tubes.
Ships – built by Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead, laid down 8 August 1916, launched 24 March 1917, completed 27 June 1917, damaged by German aircraft, beached and abandoned off Terneuzen 15 May 1940, salvaged 1953 and broken up. – built by Cammell Laird, laid down 8 August 1916, launched 22 May 1917, completed 31 July 1917, sold for breaking up 17 December 1931. – built by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, laid down 25 May 1916, launched 12 March 1917, completed 16 June 1917, sold for breaking up 24 August 1936. – built by Denny, laid down 25 May 1916, launched 5 August 1917, completed 21 August 1917, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by J. Samuel White & Co, Cowes, laid down 10 October 1916, launched 21 May 1917, completed 22 September 1917, transferred to Royal Australian Navy in October 1933, bombed and sunk by Japanese aircraft in the Bay of Bengal 9 April 1942.
Admiralty V class
The 23 vessels comprising the Admiralty V class were ordered in July 1916 under the 9th War Programme as repeats of the Admiralty V-class leaders (ordered three months earlier) to counter the threat posed by reports of a new class of powerful German destroyers (see ). They omitted the flotilla leader function and as such differed in detail from the leader predecessor.
While all 23 ships were completed with two twin torpedo tubes (Voyager, which was completed with triple tubes, was an Admiralty W-class unit ordered in December 1916), in 1921 all Admiralty V class had their forward bank replaced by a triple bank, for a total of five torpedoes; and from 1923 onwards most ships had their aft bank (twin tubes) replaced by a triple bank, for a total of six torpedoes, except in Vimy, Vanoc, Velox, Versatile and Vortigern in which only the forward bank was replaced.
Vanquisher, Vanoc, Velox, Vehement, Venturous, Versatile, Vimiera, Vittoria and Vortigern were built with the ability to be converted into minelayers within 24 hours. For this purpose they would land their torpedo tubes and "Y" gun on the quarterdeck and have screens fitted to protect the mines, of which up to sixty could be carried. They could be distinguished by the permanent mine chutes at the stern.
Ships – built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir, laid down 15 March 1917, launched 28 December 1917, completed 9 March 1918. Renamed on 1 April 1928 to release the name Vancouver for another destroyer acquired by the Royal Canadian Navy. Sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by Beardmore, laid down 16 May 1917, launched 16 March 1918, completed 27 April 1918. Given pennant number G18. Sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by Beardmore, laid down 28 July 1917, launched 3 May 1918, completed 21 June 1918, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, laid down 20 September 1916, launched 14 June 1917, completed 15 August 1917, sold for breaking up 26 July 1945, wrecked off Penryn en route to breakers in June 1946, later salved and scrapped at Falmouth. – built by John Brown, laid down 27 September 1916, launched 18 August 1917, completed 2 October 1917. Given pennant number D54, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by J. Samuel White & Company, Cowes, laid down 7 December 1916, launched 4 September 1917, completed 5 December 1917, sold for breaking up 25 August 1936. – built by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Pallion, laid down 11 December 1916, launched 1 September 1917, completed 14 December 1917, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, laid down 25 September 1916, launched 6 July 1917, completed 1917, mined and sunk in North Sea 1 August 1918. – built by Doxford, laid down January 1917, launched 17 November 1917, completed 1 April 1918, sold for breaking up 18 February 1947. – built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, laid down November 1916, launched 3 September 1917, completed 17 October 1917, transferred to Royal Australian Navy October 1933, scuttled off Sydney 2 July 1948. – built by Fairfield, laid down 2 February 1917, launched 29 October 1917, completed 19 December 1917, mined and sunk in Thames estuary 19 October 1940. – built by Denny, laid down 9 October 1916, launched 21 September 1917, completed 29 November 1917, sold for breaking up 24 August 1936. – built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn, laid down 13 January 1917, launched 21 August 1917, completed 3 November 1917, sold for breaking up March 1946. – built by Hawthorn Leslie, laid down 31 January 1917, launched 21 August 1917, completed 3 November 1917, sold for scrapping 1946 – built by Hawthorn Leslie, laid down 1917, launched 3 October 1917, mined and sunk off Seiskari in Gulf of Finland on night of 3/4 September 1919. – built by Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, laid down 7 December 1916, launched 15 December 1917, completed 20 February 1918, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by Alexander Stephen, laid down 1 February 1917, launched 28 February 1918, completed 27 April 1918, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend, laid down October 1916, launched 22 June 1917, completed 19 September 1917, mined and sunk in Thames estuary 9 January 1942. – built by Swan Hunter, launched 1 September 1917, sold for breaking up 8 March 1937. – built by Swan Hunter, 29 October 1917, torpedoed and sunk by Bolshevik submarine Pantera off Seiskari in the Gulf of Finland 1 September 1919. – built by Yarrow & Company, laid down July 1916, launched 13 November 1917, completed 29 December 1917, sold for breaking up 4 March 1947. – built by Yarrow, laid down July 1916, launched 16 February 1918, completed 28 May 1918, sold for breaking up 18 February 1947. – built by White, laid down 17 January 1917, launched 15 October 1917, completed 25 January 1918, torpedoed and sunk by German E-boat off Cromer 15 March 1942.
Admiralty W class
The Admiralty W class comprised 21 vessels, all ordered in December 1916 under the 10th War Programme, although the two ships ordered from Yarrow were cancelled in April 1917 and replaced by the orders for two Yarrow S class (Tomahawk and Torch). The Admiralty W-class ships were a follow on from the Admiralty V class, with minimal changes, primarily in that the triple torpedo tube mounting was now ready and all these vessels shipped two of these mountings from new. They also had a taller mainmast.
Ships – built by Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, laid down 17 May 1917, launched 8 May 1918, completed 24 June 1918, transferred to Royal Australian Navy in October 1933, bombed by Japanese aircraft and beached on Timor, 23 September 1942. – built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, laid down 17 January 1917, launched 6 October 1917, completed 16 November 1917, torpedoed and sunk by German E-boat S30 off Nieuwpoort 29 May 1940. – built by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, laid down 26 March 1917, launched 29 November 1917, completed 2 February 1918, sold for breaking up 15 March 1946. – built by William Doxford & Sons, Pallion, laid down May 1917, launched 12 February 1918, completed 7 August 1918, mined in North Sea 6 January 1945 and written off as constructive total loss, sold for breaking up 8 February 1945. – built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, laid down 1917, launched 27 December 1917, completed 8 March 1918, stranded in Scarborough North Bay 12 February 1938 and written off as constructive total loss, sold for breaking up 5 March 1938. – built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn, laid down 10 March 1917, launched 28 December 1917, completed 18 March 1918, torpedoed and sunk by off Trevose Head 20 February 1944. – built by John Brown, laid down 17 January 1917, launched 2 November 1917, completed 26 January 1918, sold for breaking up 23 July 1945. – built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow, laid down July 1917, launched 26 March 1918, completed 17 April 1918, transferred to Royal Australian Navy in October 1933, bombed and sunk off of Libya by German and Italian aircraft 30 June 1941. – built by Hawthorn Leslie, laid down 23 May 1917, launched 12 March 1918, completed 11 May 1918, bombed by German aircraft off Calais 24 May 1940. – built by Denny, laid down 30 March 1917, launched 14 February 1918, completed 12 March 1918, sold for breaking up 8 January 1946. Notable as first vessel to be fitted with the Hedgehog depth charge mortar in August 1941.