"G" class Fleet Destroyers |
Name | Pennant | Builder | Launched | Fate |
Grenville * | H03 | Yarrow | 15 Aug. 1935 | Mined Jan. 1940 |
Gallant | H59 | Fairfield | 26 Sept. 1935 | Mined Apr. 1942, Expended as blockship at Malta |
Garland | H37 | Fairfield | 24 Oct. 1935 | Free Polish 1939-47, To RNN as Marnix 1947 |
Gipsy | H63 | Fairfield | 7 Nov. 1935 | Mined Nov. 1939 |
Glowworm | H92 | Thornycroft | 22 July 1935 | Sunk April 1940 by Admiral Hipper |
Grafton | H89 | Thornycroft | 18 Sept. 1935 | Sunk May 1940 at Dunkirk |
Grenade | H86 | Stephen | 12 Nov. 1935 | Sunk May 1940 at Dunkirk |
Greyhound | H05 | Vickers Armstrong | 15 Aug. 1935 | Bombed May 1941 |
Griffin | H31 | Vickers Armstrong | 15 Aug. 1935 | To RCN as Ottawa (ii) 1943, Scrapped Jan. 1946 |
* - Flotilla Leader
1:600 "G" class. They were shorter and beamier than previous ships due to addoption of side fired boilers. © Andrew Arthur. |
HMS Griffin with wartime modifications. A 12pdr. AA gun replaced the after torpedoes, "Y" gun was removed to carry extra DC's, "A" gun was replaced by a hedgehog, and 20mm AA were the light gun fit. © Andrew Arthur. SW.272 was carried at the bridge head, and the after funnel was cut down. © Andrew Arthur. |
As a result of ongoing weight and space-saving
developments, this class returned to the smaller dimensions of
the "A" class but with a larger beam to allow for one
single and one double boiler room.
They carried two DC throwers and one rack for 20 DC's, and a
prototype of quintuple tubes was fitted to the Glowworm
although bunkering had to be reduced to alllow for it.
The leader had a Yarrow side-fired boiler and so was actually 13
feet shorter although again beamier.
All carried a tripod masts fore and aft.
All surviving units ( not Grenville and Gipsy )
replaced the after tubes with a 12 pound AA gun, lost the
mainmast, carried AW type 286 RDF on the foremast and had the
after funnel shortened.
Garland and Griffin, the only survivors
replaced "Y" gun with more DC throwers and stowage, had
the multiple MG's removed, four 20mm Oerlikon cannons added. Also
Griffin replaced "A" gun with a hedgehog, and
had SW type 271 RDF replacing the LA.DCT, no 12 pounder, extra
depth charges and four more Oerlikon cannons.
Dimensions | |||
Full Displacement | 1854 tons ( 2033 tons Grenville ) | Length | 323' ( Grenville 330' ) |
Empty Displacement | 1335 tons , 1345 tons Glowworm, 1485 tons Grenville | Beam | 32.25' ( Grenville 34.5' ) |
Load | 519 tons, 509 tons Glowworm, 548 tons Grenville | Draft | 8.5' ( Flotilla Leaders 8.75' ) |
Performance & Propulsion | |
Machinery | 4 x Admirality 3 drum boilers, 2 x Parsons Steam Turbines @ 34,000 ( Flotilla Leaders 38,000 hp ) |
Speed | 35.5 kts ( Flotilla Leaders 36 kts ) |
Complement & Armament | |
Complement | 145 Officers & Ratings, Flotilla Leaders 175 |
Armament Designed |
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Armament Early war |
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Armament Garland |
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Armament Griffin |
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