 Afridi as completed, 1938 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Afridi |
| Namesake | Afridi |
| Ordered | 10 March 1936 |
| Builder | Vickers-Armstrongs,Newcastle-on-Tyne |
| Cost | £341,462 |
| Laid down | 9 June 1936 |
| Launched | 8 June 1937 |
| Completed | 29 April 1938 |
| Commissioned | 3 May 1938 |
| Identification | Pennant number: L07, later F07[1] |
| Fate | Sunk by aircraft, 3 May 1940 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Tribal-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 377 ft (114.9 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft 3 in (3.43 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × shafts; 2 × gearedsteam turbines |
| Speed | 36knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) |
| Range | 5,700 nmi (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 190 |
| Sensors & processing systems | ASDIC |
| Armament |
|
HMSAfridi was one of 16Tribal-classdestroyers built for theRoyal Navy shortly before the beginning ofSecond World War in 1939. Completed in 1938 the ship was initially assigned to theMediterranean Fleet where she served as aflotilla leader.Afridi was briefly involved enforcing thearms blockade on the combatants in theSpanish Civil War. The ship returned home shortly after the start of the Second World War and was assignedconvoy escort duties. She played an active role in theNorwegian Campaign of April–May 1940, escorting convoys to and from Norway.Afridi was sunk by Germandive bombers on 3 May as she was escorting the evacuation convoy after the failure of theNamsos Campaign.
The Tribals were intended to counter the large destroyers being built abroad and to improve the firepower of the existing destroyerflotillas and were thus significantly larger and more heavily armed than the precedingI class.[2] The ships displaced 1,891long tons (1,921 t) atstandard load and 2,519 long tons (2,559 t) atdeep load.[3] They had anoverall length of 377 feet (114.9 m), abeam of 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m)[4] and adraught of 11 feet 3 inches (3.43 m).[5] The destroyers were powered by twoParsons gearedsteam turbines, each driving onepropeller shaft using steam provided by threeAdmiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 44,000shaft horsepower (33,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 36knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[4] During hersea trialsAfridi made 34.9 knots (64.6 km/h; 40.2 mph) from 44,720 shp (33,350 kW) at a displacement of 2,244 long tons (2,280 t).[6] The ships carried enoughfuel oil to give them a range of 5,700nautical miles (10,600 km; 6,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[5] The ships' complement consisted of 190 officers andratings, although theflotilla leaders carried an extra 20 officers and men consisting of theCaptain (D) and his staff.[7]
The primary armament of the Tribal-class destroyers was eightquick-firing (QF)4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark XII guns in foursuperfiring twin-gun mounts, one pair each fore and aft of thesuperstructure, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear. The mounts had a maximumelevation of 40°. Foranti-aircraft (AA) defence, they carried a single quadruple mount for the 40-millimetre (1.6 in)QF two-pounder Mk II "pom-pom" gun and two quadruple mounts for the0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Mark IIImachine gun.[8] Low-angle fire for the main guns was controlled by thedirector-control tower (DCT) on thebridge roof that fed data acquired by it and the 12-foot (3.7 m)rangefinder on the Mk II Rangefinder/Director directly aft of the DCT to an analoguemechanical computer, the Mk IAdmiralty Fire Control Clock. Anti-aircraft fire for the main guns was controlled by the Rangefinder/Director which sent data to the mechanicalFuze Keeping Clock.[9]
The ships were fitted with a single above-water quadruple mount for21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.[7] The Tribals were not intended as anti-submarine ships, but they were provided withASDIC, onedepth charge rack and two throwers for self-defence, although the throwers were not mounted in all ships;[10] Twenty depth charges was the peacetime allotment, but this increased to 30 during wartime.[11]
Authorized as one of seven Tribal-class destroyers under the 1935 Naval Estimates,[12]Afridi was the second ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy.[13] The ship was ordered on 10 March 1936 fromVickers-Armstrongs and waslaid down on 9 June at the company's HighWalker, Newcastle upon Tyne,shipyard.[14] She waslaunched on 8 June 1937 by Lady Foster.[15]Afridi was completed on 29 April 1938 andcommissioned on 3 May at a cost of£341,462 which excluded weapons and communications outfits furnished by theAdmiralty.[16] The ship was initially assigned to the1st Tribal Destroyer Flotilla with theMediterranean Fleet and arriving atMalta on 3 June. In July, she sailed for the Mediterranean Spanish coast to enforce the arms embargo imposed by theNon-Intervention Committee on both sides of theSpanish Civil War. The following monthAfridi hostedRear-AdmiralJohn Tovey, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet's destroyers, for exercises in theIonian Sea. On 18 September,Afridi rendezvoused with hersister ship,Cossack, and theheavy cruiserDevonshire in theAegean Sea before continuing onwards toIstanbul,Turkey, for a formal visit the next day. Rising tensions during theMunich Crisis caused the remainder of theBlack Sea cruise to be cancelled on 21 September. The ship sailed forAlexandria,British Egypt, where the destroyer was briefly refitted from 9 November to 17 December.Afridi then joined the rest of the first batch of Tribals in Malta which had also been assigned to the flotilla andCaptainG. H. Creswell could assume his role as Captain (D).[17]
On 23 February 1939, the ship led her flotilla toGibraltar where the Mediterranean andHome Fleets were gathering for combined exercises. These ran from 28 February to 18 March and involved dozens of ships from both commands. The ships of the Mediterranean Fleet then split up for visits to various nearby ports;Afridi was lightly damaged when she collided with thelight cruiserPenelope offPalma de Mallorca in theBalearic Islands, during the transfer of mail on the night of 21/22 March and had to return to Malta for repairs. When Italy invadedAlbania on 7 April, the Mediterranean Fleet was mobilised and remained on a war footing for most of May. During this time the 1st Tribal Destroyer Flotilla was redesignated as the4th Destroyer Flotilla (DF). By July 7 tensions had decreased such thatAfridi and her sistersGurkha,Mohawk, andSikh were able to escort theaircraft carrierGlorious on a visit toAthens,Greece. The following month, the fleet spent a week exercising in the area between the Greek island ofCrete andBritish Cyprus. As tensions rose in Europe later in August, the fleet was mobilised and continued to train in preparation for war with Italy. As part of its preparations, the Admiralty had closed the Mediterranean to British shipping andAfridi and seven other destroyers escorted one group of ships that had collected atSuez, Egypt, through theRed Sea to reduce the congestion.[18]
When Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September,Afridi was still in the Red Sea. As Italy took steps to prove her neutrality, the destroyers were released from their mission and returned to Alexandria where they began escorting convoys and conductingcontraband inspections of non-British ships. This was not the best use of the Tribals and the 4th DF was ordered back to England in October.[19] It was based atImmingham on theHumber and mostly escorted convoys up and down the eastern coast of Britain. The flotilla was transferred toRosyth, Scotland, to carry out convoy escort duties between the UK andNorway in December. Cresswell was relieved by CaptainPhilip Vian on 31 December.[20]
By January 1940, a number of defects had become noticeable, including leaks and problems with turbine blades that causedAfridi to begin a refit at a commercial shipyard in WestHartlepool on 17 January. Vian decided that CaptainRobert Sherbrooke ofCossack needed someleave and so exchanged ships with him for the duration of the refit which lasted until 19 March. The 4th DF was then allocated toPlan R 4, a preemptive occupation of cities in western Norway after a German invasion had begun, and was tasked to escort the troop-laden ships of the1st Cruiser Squadron toBergen andStavanger. The Germans decided to move first and occupied most Norwegian ports in a sea- and airborne assault (Operation Weserübung) on 9 April that took both the Norwegians and the Allies by surprise.[21]
Receiving word that theRoyal Air Force had attacked north-bound German warships in the North Sea on 7 April, the Home Fleet put to sea that evening. The2nd Cruiser Squadron departed Rosyth with its two light cruisers, escorted byAfridi and the 4th DF, with orders to sweep through the North Sea before rendezvousing with the main body of the Home Fleet. On the morning of 9 April the 4th DF, minusTartar, was tasked with attacking Bergen,covered by the18th Cruiser Squadron, but the Admiralty cancelled the attack that afternoon when it received reports that two German light cruisers were in port. As the British ships were falling back on the main body of the Home Fleet, they were attacked by 88 bombers of BomberWing 26 (Kampfgeschwader 26) and Bomber Wing 30 (Kampfgeschwader 30), sinkingGurkha and lightly damaging thebattleshipRodney.[22]
After refuelling atScapa Flow the following day,Afridi, five of her sisters and two light cruisers departed on the evening of 11 April, arriving offStadlandet the following morning. The destroyers were split up to search the area for German ships before rendezvousing with the cruisers at dusk, but an inaccurate spot report of a Germanbattlecruiser and cruiser that afternoon, interrupted the searches when the destroyers were recalled. On the morning of 13 April the destroyers were sent to search theRomsdalsfjord and only found four merchant ships. As they were leavingÅlesund they were unsuccessfully attacked by a dozen bombers from IIIGroup, Demonstration Wing 1 (Lehrgeschwader 1). The following morning they were ordered north to theNamsos area to examine its suitability for an Allied landing and to coordinate with local Norwegian forces. Harbour facilities were assessed as inadequate and that troops should be landed elsewhere and transferred to destroyers for off-loading at Namsos. The Admiralty ordered that the148th Infantry Brigade, already at sea, to be diverted to the anchorage at Lillesjona; its troopships arrived there at dawn on 16 April and began transferring their troops to the destroyers after they had completed refuelling.Major GeneralAdrian Carton de Wiart, commander of the Namsos-area forces, also moved fromSomali toAfridi. Half-a-dozen Luftwaffe bombers disrupted the transfer that afternoon, but their only success was to put some fragments throughAfridi's bow. The destroyers unloaded their troops that night and the rest of the troops arrived the following evening. The destroyers and their covering cruisers were ordered home on 19 April andAfridi transferred Carton de Wiart to theanti-aircraft cruiserCairo before departing.[23]
Afridi and four other destroyers escorted a small supply convoy toÅndalsnes andMolde that was so heavily attacked by the Luftwaffe on 27 April that they had to abort their mission before two of the ships could complete their unloading. The former town was set on fire, but the ships only suffered splinter damage. They were attacked again the following day as they withdrew.[24]
The Allied defeat during the Namsos Campaign forced them to evacuate the survivors.Afridi was one of the escorts for the troopships that arrived at the entrance to theNamsenfjorden on 1 May to take them off, but thick fog delayed them until the following day. On the evening of 2 May, the destroyer led the heavy cruiserYork and three French troopships to Namsos. Two transports were able to dock in the harbour, but the third andYork had to have the troops ferried to them by the destroyers andtrawlers. All the ships exceptAfridi departed at 02:30, but she waited until 03:15 for therearguard to reach the port before leaving herself.[25]
The Germans spotted the evacuation convoy early that morning and Luftwaffe attacks began around 08:45. At 10:00 aJunkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber of I Group, Dive-bomber Wing 1 (Sturzkampfgeschwader 1) hit theFrench destroyer Bison with a bomb that caused her forwardmagazine to explode.Afridi and the destroyersImperial andGrenade went to her aid and fought off two more air attacks while rescuing survivors.Afridi sankBison by gunfire around noon after twice missing with torpedoes and departed the area with 69 survivors on board. When she rejoined the convoy at 14:00, another dive bombing attack developed. The ship was targeted by more Stukas diving from each side, making evasive manoeuvres ineffectual. She was hit by two bombs, one passing through thewireless telegraphy office and exploding beside the forwardboiler room, the second hitting just forward of the bridge and starting a severe fire at the after end of themess decks.Imperial came alongside to port andGriffin to starboard to take aboard survivors. At 14:45 hours,Afridi capsized and sank bow-first with the loss of 52 crewmen at66°14′N05°45′E / 66.233°N 5.750°E /66.233; 5.750. Thirteen soldiers were also lost—the only casualties among the whole force evacuated from Åndalsnes and Namsos–and 30 of the 69 Frenchmen she had picked up fromBison.[26]
