On the horizon HMS Airedale seen blowing up after a direct hit from enemy bombers during a convoy from Alexandria to Malta.
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSAiredale
Ordered	4 July 1940
Builder	John Brown & Company,Clydebank
Laid down	20 November 1940
Launched	12 August 1941
Commissioned	8 January 1942
Identification	Pennant number: L07
Fate	Sunk 15 June 1942, 33° 50'N, 23° 50'E
General characteristics
Class and type	Type III Hunt-classdestroyer
Displacement	1,050 long tons (1,067 t) standard, 1,490 long tons (1,514 t) full load
Length	264 ft 3 in (80.54 m)pp, 280 ft (85.34 m)oa
Beam	31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
Draught	7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
Propulsion	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2 shaftParsonsgeared turbines, 19,000 shp (14,000 kW)
Speed	27 kn (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range	3,700 nmi (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	168
Armament	4 ×QF 4 in Mark XVI guns on twin mounts Mk. XIX 4 ×QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII (1 × quad mount) 3 ×20 mm Oerlikons 2 ×21 in (533 mm) torpedotubes 70depth charges, 4 throwers, 2 racks

HMSAiredale was aHunt-class destroyer built for use by the BritishRoyal Navy during the Second World War. She entered service in early 1942 as a convoy escort, being assigned to theMediterranean Fleet in May.Airedale was sunk whileescorting a convoy fromAlexandria toMalta on 15 June 1942 bySturzkampfgeschwader 3.

Airedale was one of sevenType III Hunt-class destroyers ordered for theRoyal Navy on 4 July 1940, as part of the 1940 War Emergency Programme.^[1] The Hunt class was meant to fill the Royal Navy's need for a large number of small destroyer-type vessels capable of both convoy escort and operations with the fleet. The Type III Hunts differed from the previousType II ships in replacing a twin 4-inch gun mount by two torpedo tubes to improve their ability to operate as destroyers.^[2][3]

The Type III Hunts were 264 feet 3 inches (80.54 m) longbetween perpendiculars and 280 feet (85.34 m)overall, with abeam was 31 feet 6 inches (9.60 m) anddraught 7 feet 9 inches (2.36 m). Displacement was 1,050long tons (1,067 t)standard and 1,490 long tons (1,514 t) under full load. TwoAdmiralty boilers raising steam at 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa) and 620 °F (327 °C) fedParsons single-reduction gearedsteam turbines that drove two propeller shafts, generating 19,000 shaft horsepower (14,000 kW) at 380 rpm. This gave a design maximum speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph).^[4] 345 long tons (351 t) of oil fuel were carried, giving a range of 3,700 nautical miles (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[5]

Main gun armament was four4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI dual purpose (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) guns in two twin mounts, with a quadruple2-pounder "pom-pom" and threeOerlikon 20 mm cannon providing close-in anti-aircraft fire.^[6][4] Two 21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes were fitted in a single twin mount, while twodepth charge chutes, four depth charge throwers and 70 depth charges comprised the ship's anti-submarine armament.Type 291 andType 285 radar was fitted, as was Type 128sonar.^[6][7]

Airedale waslaid down at theClydebank shipyard of the shipbuildersJohn Brown & Company on 20 November 1940 waslaunched on 12 August 1941 and was completed on 8 January 1942.^[1][8]

Airedale joined the Home Fleet atScapa Flow for workup after commissioning, and on 14 February 1942 leftKirkwall inOrkney as part of the escort of theArctic convoyPQ 11 on the first stage of its journey toMurmansk in Northern Russia.^[9][10] During March she escorted the SSQueen Victoria toGibraltar and then the cruiserDauntless to theCape of Good Hope. She was then assigned to theMediterranean Fleet, arriving inAlexandria on 1 May, joining the5th Destroyer Flotilla.^[9][11] On 10 May, the14th Destroyer Flotilla (Jackal,JervisKipling andLively) set out from Alexandria to intercept an Italian convoy sailing from Italy to Benghazi.^[12] The flotilla was sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft on the afternoon of 11 May, and despite abandoning the mission and turning back towards Alexandria, came under heavy air attack from German bombers.Lively andKipling were sunk andJackal was badly damaged by the attacks, withJackal being taken under tow byJervis.^[13]Airedale, along with sister shipsBeaufort,Dulverton andHurworth and the destroyersSikh andHasty, were ordered out from Alexandria to escortJervis andJackal to the port. By the time thatAiredale met up withJervis andJackal, it had been decided to abandon the tow, andJackal wasscuttled byJervis.^[14][9]

On 13 JuneAiredale set out from Alexandria as part of the escort of a large convoy toMalta (Operation Vigorous), while a second convoy (Operation Harpoon) was sailing to Malta from Gibraltar.^[15][16] On 14 June the Vigorous convoy came under heavy air attack, sinking one merchant ship and damaging another. The convoy turned back towards Alexandria on receiving reports of the Italian fleet sailing to intercept, and in the night of 14/15 June, German motor torpedo boats took advantage of the disruption caused by the course change to successfully attack the convoy, damaging the cruiserNewcastle and sinking the destroyerHasty.^[15][17] Air attacks continued on 15 June, with the cruiserBirmingham being damaged by a bomb, and then at about 15:20, twelveJunkers Ju 87 dive bombers ofStG 3. She was near missed by three bombs and hit by two bombs near the aft 4-inch gun mount. One of these bombs caused one of the ship's magazines (either the aft 4-inch magazine or the depth charge storage) to explode, and starting a large fire aft.^[9][15][18]Airedale's crew abandoned ship and the ship was scuttled by gunfire fromHurworth and a torpedo fromAldenham. 45 ofAiredale's crew were killed with 133 rescued.^[9][19][20]

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• "People's War: The Spen Valley's war at sea!".BBC.com. 1 November 2005.

• Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy
• World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom
• Ships built on the River Clyde
• 1941 ships
• Ships sunk by German aircraft
• Destroyers sunk by aircraft
• World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea
• Naval magazine explosions

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