"V" Class Flotilla Leader (1917)
The five flotilla leaders of the "V" Class were completed in 1917 and boasted a higher speed so they could keep pace with the very fast "S" class destroyers.
Overview of 5 vessels | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citations for this data available on individual ship pages | |||||
Name | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
Vampire | J. S. White | 21 May, 1917 | Sunk 9 Apr, 1942 | ||
Valentine | Cammell Laird | 24 Mar, 1917 | Stranded 15 May, 1940 | ||
Valhalla | Cammell Laird | 22 May, 1917 | 17 Dec, 1931 | ||
Valorous | Denny | 8 May, 1917 | 4 Mar, 1947 | ||
Valkyrie | Denny | 13 Mar, 1917 | Handed over 24 Aug, 1936 |
Machinery
Generators
In 1916, it was stated that flotilla leaders have two 26.25 kw dynamos arranged in parallel with an additional 9 kw oil-fired set for emergency use.[1] However, another source indicates the ships carried a single 36.5 kw set.[2]
Armament
4-in Guns
- Four 4-in H.V. Q.F. Mark V guns on C.P. II mountings, recoiling 20 inches, elevating 30 degrees with sights etched to 13,600 yards.[3]
The mounting may have been P. IX with 25 degree elevation in initial planning. There were 120 rounds per gun.[4]
Other Guns
Initially:
- Two 2-pdr with 100 rounds per gun
Eventually altered to:
- one 3-in 20 cwt H.A. Mark III with 100 rounds
Torpedoes
Vampire had a different scheme.[5]
Vampire:
- Two Triple Revolving 21-in torpedo tubes
Others:
- Two Double Revolving 21-in torpedo tubes
Rangefinders
A photo of Valkyrie in 1918 or afterward shows her with a 9- or 12-foot rangefinder on her bridge.[6]
Fire Control
These ships had electric fire control systems as did the earlier flotilla leaders, but also had the light training director system.[7]
Directors
In 1917, it was approved that all flotilla leaders except Swift and Abdiel should receive installations of the British Destroyer Director Firing System,[10] but none of these installations were completed before 1918.[11]
Dreyer Table
These ships had no fire control tables.[12]
Torpedo Control
The arrangements were said to be similar to those portrayed in Plate 82.
Alterations
By November 1918, Valorous and Valentine (only), operating with the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla and Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla, respectively, were fitted to carry 40 "H" and "M" type mines. The torpedo tubes and guns removed when the mines were shipped could be placed back aboard with enough notice.[14]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916. p. 120.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. pp. 205-206.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 34. p. 17.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 194.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 194.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers. Photo 24/1.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 34. p. 17.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1917. Plate100.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1917. Plate101.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1917. p. 229.
- ↑ Progress in Naval Gunnery, 1914-1918. p. 37.
- ↑ absent from list in Handbook of Capt. F.C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, p. 3.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1917. p. 210. Plate 82.
- ↑ Admiralty. Annual Report of the Torpedo School Mining Appendix, 1917-1918, p. 11. Plate 7.
Bibliography
- Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1910). Handbook for Fire Control Instruments, 1909. Copy No. 173 is Ja 345a at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
- Admiralty, Gunnery Branch (1918). Handbook of Captain F. C. Dreyer's Fire Control Tables, 1918. C.B. 1456. Copy No. 10 at Admiralty Library, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
"V" Class Flotilla Leader | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vampire | Valentine | Valhalla | Valorous | Valkyrie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
<– | Parker Class | Destroyer Leaders (UK) | Shakespeare Class | –> |