Ship Builder
Laid Down Launched Commissioned Fate
D84 Keppel Thornycroft Oct 18 23 Apr 20 13 Dec 24 Sold July 1945
D83 Broke (ex Rooke) Thornycroft Oct 18 16 Sep 20 15 Apr 25 Sunk
10 Nov 42
L64 Wallace Thornycroft Aug 17 20 Oct 18 29 Jan 19 Sold out 20
Mar 45
Displacement:
1,554tons/1,579tonnes (standard);2,009tons/2,041 tonnes (full
load).
Length: 329ft/100.3m (oa); 318ft 3in/97m (pp).
Beam: 3l ft 6in/9.6m.
Draught: 12ft 3in/3.73m (mean).
Machinery: four Yarrow boilers; 2 shaft Brown Curtis S.R. geared
turbines.
Performance: 40,000shp; 36kts.
Bunkerage: 500tons/508tonnes.
Guns: five 4.7in (5x 1); one 3in HA; one MG (Wallace four 4in
HA (2 ×2); four 2pdr (1 ×4);
eight .5in MG (2 x 4) ).
Torpedoes: six 21in (2x3) (Wallace, nil).
Complement:164
Design
In 1916, Thornycroft
had proposed a design for a large flotilla leader which was considered
by the Admiralty and eventually amended in line with recommendations
by the DNC. In particular the six 4 inch guns in the Thornycroft
layout were to be replaced by five 5 inch guns. However, because
of the delay inherent in designing a new gun it was decided to
adopt the 4.7 inch army gun for naval use. These were to be shipped
super imposed fore and aft, with the fifth gun between the funnels
a leader layout which was to be followed until the late 1930s.
The class originally
numbered seven but of these, Saunders and Spragge were cancelled
in January 1919 and work stopped on Keppel and Rooke. Only Shakespeare
and Spencer were completed in time to serve with the Fleet during
the First World War, the former being badly damaged by a mine
in June 1918. Both of these ships were sold out in July 1936,
going to the breakers in Jarrow and Inverkeithing respectively
in September. Rooke was re named Broke in about 1921, both she
and Keppel being towed to and eventually completed at Royal Dockyards.
Shakespeare, running trials under wartime conditions, reached
38.95 knots with 43,527shp on 1,605 tons displacement. Wallace
made 38.25 knots
Modifications
Early in 1939,
Wallace was converted to an escort destroyer more or less on the
lines of the V & W Wair conversions. Both banks of torpedo
tubes and all 4.7 inch guns were landed, the bridge rebuilt and
the forward shelter deck dismantled. Two twin 4 inch Mk XIX comprised
the main armament and Wallace was unique in having a quadruple
2pdr fitted on a bandstand aft in lieu of 'Y' gun. Quadruple .5in
MG mountings were shipped in the spaces vacated by the torpedo
tubes, the forward one to port, the after to starboard. Two 20mm
Oeriikons in the bridge wings completed the gunnery outfit. A
lattice tower over the searchlight platform supported the Type
272 radar lantern. A Type 291 radar aerial was fitted at the masthead.
In late 1942, Type 285 gunnery radar was fitted to the HACS director.
By mid 1944, the .5in MG mountings had been replaced by single
2pdr guns and two further single 20mm mounted in the waist.
Keppel and
Broke received little initial alterations, except for the after
funnel being cut down in height. At the time of her loss in November
1942, Broke had been rearmed for escort duties, landing 'A', 'Q'
and 'Y' guns. A 'hedgehog' replaced 'A' gun and four 20mm Oerlikons
were added. Radar 272 replaced the rangefinder on the bridge.
Keppel was converted on similar lines, No. 1 boiler room being
stripped out to increase bunkerage and accommodation. Her armament
was now two 4.7 inch, one 3 inch, four 20mm and six torpedo tubes.
Service
Keppel served
with the 13th Destroyer Flotilla and Force H at Gibraltar and
in the Mediterranean 1940 42, but acted as escort in between to
some Atlantic and Russian convoys, in particular PQ17, when she
was leader of the close escort. In 1943, she was partially converted
to a long range escort and joined Escort Group B3 working Atlantic
convoys. In 1944 she was predominantly employed on Arctic convoys,
with the 8th Support and 20th Escort Groups, when she sank three
U boats, U713, U360 and U344 the last in company with other ships.
She remained on Russian convoys until 1945.
At the beginning
of the war Broke formed part of the 29th Division, 15th Destroyer
Flotilla. She served in the Western Approaches and North Atlantic
until 1942 when, towards the end of the year, she moved to the
Mediterranean for the North Africa landings. During the course
of these, Broke was sunk by shore batteries while attempting to
force the defences of Algiers.
Wallace, which
had completed her conversion to an escort destroyer on 14 June
1939, spent a period on reserve and subsidiary duties until recommissioned
on 26 August. At the outbreak of war, she served on east coast
convoys between Rosyth and Sheerness until March 1945 except for
a brief period in 1943 when she participated in the Invasion of
Sicily. After her return to the UK in August 1943, Wallace reverted
to east coast convoy duty, but after a collision with Farndale
off the Humber on 16 March 1945, she was paid off into reserve
unrepaired on 12 April 1945.
