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 the United Kingdom and United States, signed on 2 September 1940. They were known as "four-pipers" or "four-stackers" because they had four smokestacks (funnels). 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 Annapolisthe name of both a river in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, and the location of the United States Naval Academy.Milner 1985 p. 23
One of the Town-class ships achieved lasting fame: (ex-). 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 (ex-) after her return from service in the Soviet Union.
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.Conway p. 124 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 (2-screw ships normally have the shafts turning in opposite directions as the direction of rotation has effects on the rudder and the whole ship when manoeuvring, especially when coming alongside), 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".Bernard Edwards: Convoy Will Scatter; Pen & Sword 2013 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 earnest of the United States’ commitment to support Britain against Nazism.Roskill p. 348
The original armament was four 4-inch (102 mm) guns,Campbell 1985 p. 143 one 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun, and twelve torpedo tubes.Silverstone 1968 p. 103 On the Wickes-class, the 4-inch gun placement was one gun in a shield on the foredeck, 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.Lenton & Colledge 1968 p. 80 Twenty-three of the class had further armament reductions for anti-submarine escort of trade convoys.Lenton & Colledge 1968 pp. 80, 90–92 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.Hague pp. 14-15 Type A corresponded to the 20 ships of the , having a standard displacement of 1,190 tons powered by geared turbines that produced a maximum speed of 28.5 knots. They were armed with four single 4-inch guns and one 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, with triple 21-inch torpedo tubes. Overall length was 314 ft 4 in, beam 31 ft 8 in and draught 12 ft 10 in. 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 1,060 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 four single 3-inch guns and built with direct drive turbines, but having a speed of 30 kt. The type D vessels were recognizable also in having only three funnels. + Town-class ship characteristics by Type Characteristic Type A Type B Type C Type D Standard , long tons (t) 1,190 1,090 1,060 1,020 Full load , long tons (t) 1,725 1,530 1,530 1,445 Length () Beam 31' 8" 31' 0" 31' 8" 31' 2" Draught Machinery geared turbines geared turbines geared turbines direct drive turbines Boilers 4 4 4 4 Shafts 2 2 2 3 Speed, knots (kt) 28.5 28.75 29.75 30 Main armament 4× 4-inch guns in single mounts 4×1 3/50 gun Anti-aircraft guns 1× 3-inch gun. 1×1 3/23 Torpedo tubes 4×3 21-in. 4×3 21-in. 4×3 21-in. 4×3 21-in.
+ Town-class destroyers assigned to the 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
+ Town-class destroyers assigned to the 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
+ Town-class destroyers of the Royal Canadian Navy Name Ex- Date acquired Service Fate 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)