Profile view ofHesperus
History
Brazil
Name	Juruena
Ordered	6 December 1937
Builder	John I. Thornycroft & Company
Laid down	6 July 1938
Launched	1 August 1939
Fate	Purchased by the United Kingdom, 5 September 1939
United Kingdom
Name	Hearty (briefly) Hesperus
Namesake	Hesperus
Acquired	5 September 1939
Commissioned	22 January 1940
Renamed	Hesperus, 27 February 1940
Identification	Pennant number: H57[1]
Fate	Scrapped, 17 May 1947
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type	Brazilian H-classdestroyer
Displacement	1,350long tons (1,370 t) (standard)
Length	323 ft (98.5 m)
Beam	33 ft (10.1 m)
Draught	12 ft 5 in (3.8 m)
Installed power	3Admiralty 3-drum boilers 34,000 shp (25,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 gearedsteam turbines
Speed	36knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range	5,530 nmi (10,240 km; 6,360 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	152
Sensors & processing systems	ASDIC
Armament	3 × single4.7 in (120 mm) guns 2 × quadruple.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns 2 × quadruple21 in (533 mm)torpedo tubes 3 ×depth charge rails and 8 × throwers; 110 × depth charges

HMSHesperus was anH-classdestroyer that had originally been ordered by theBrazilian Navy with the nameJuruena in the late 1930s, but was purchased by theRoyal Navy after the beginning ofWorld War II in September 1939, commissioned in 1940 asHMS Hearty and then quickly renamed asHesperus.

Hesperus was damaged by German aircraft during theNorwegian Campaign in May 1940 and was assigned to convoy escort andanti-submarine patrols after her repairs were completed. She was assigned to theWestern Approaches Command for convoy escort duties in late 1940. She was briefly assigned toForce H in 1941, but her anti-aircraft armament was deemed too weak and she was transferred to theNewfoundland Escort Force the next month for escort duties in the North Atlantic.Hesperus was transferred to theMid-Ocean Escort Force in late 1941 and continued to escort convoys in theNorth Atlantic for the next three years.

She was converted to anescort destroyer in early 1943 after suffering damage from one of her tworamming attacks that sank Germansubmarines. The ship sank two other submarines during the war by more conventional means. After the end of the war,Hesperus escorted the ships carrying theNorwegian government in exile back toNorway and served as atarget ship through mid-1946. She wasscrapped beginning in mid-1947.

The warship displaced 1,350 long tons (1,370 t) atstandard load and 1,883 long tons (1,913 t) atdeep load. The ship had anoverall length of 323 feet (98.5 m), abeam of 33 feet (10.1 m) and adraught of 12 feet 5 inches (3.8 m). She was powered by twoParsons gearedsteam turbines, each driving one shaft using steam provided by threeAdmiralty 3-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 34,000shaft horsepower (25,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 36knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).Hesperus carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil, giving her a range of 5,530nautical miles (10,240 km; 6,360 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[2] The ship's complement was 152 officers and ratings.^[3]

The vessel was designed for four 45-calibre4.7-inch Mk IX guns in single mounts, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear, but 'Y' gun was removed to compensate for the additional depth charges added. Foranti-aircraft (AA) defence,Hesperus had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the0.5 inch Vickers Mark IIImachine gun. She was fitted with two above-water quadrupletorpedo tube mounts for21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.^[2] Onedepth charge rail and two throwers were originally fitted, but this was increased to three sets of rails and eight throwers whilefitting-out. The ship's load of depth charges was increased from 20 to 110 as well.^[4][5]

Hesperus was completed without adirector-control tower (DCT) so the three remaining 4.7-inch low-angle guns fired in local control using ranges provided by arangefinder.^[1] She was fitted with anASDIC set to detectsubmarines by reflections from sound waves beamed into the water.^[6]

Hesperus had her rear torpedo tubes replaced by a12-pounder (3 in (76 mm)) AA gun while under repair in May–June 1940.^[7] The ship received aHF/DFradio direction finder mounted on a polemainmast^[3] and aType 286 short-rangesurface-search radar during her mid-1941 refit. While under repair atImmingham, she received her DCT.^[8] During her early 1942 refit atFalmouth, Cornwall, the ship's short-range AA armament was augmented by twoOerlikon 20 mm (0.8 in) guns on the wings of the ship'sbridge. In addition, her recently installed DCT and rangefinder above the bridge were replaced by aType 271 target indication radar.^[9]

While under repair in early 1943, the ship was converted to an escort destroyer. 'A' gun was replaced by aHedgehog anti-submarinespigot mortar and the .50-calibre machine gun mounts were replaced by a pair of Oerlikons. Additional depth charge stowage replaced the 12-pounder AA gun andHesperus received the one-ton Mk X depth charge and four Mk IV depth-charge throwers during the same refit.Hesperus was also fitted with theFoxer acousticdecoy to protect her against German acoustically guided torpedoes.^[10]

She was originally ordered asJuruena on 16 December 1937 by theBrazilian Navy. The ship waslaid down byJohn I. Thornycroft and Company atWoolston, Hampshire on 6 July 1938 and launched by Senhora Heitora Gallienz on 1 August 1939. The ship was purchased by the British on 5 September 1939 after the beginning of World War II.^[11] Renamed HMSHearty, the ship was commissioned on 22 January 1940 under command of formerFleet Air Arm pilotCommanderDonald Macintyre.^[12]Hearty was renamedHesperus on 27 February, after theHesperus of mythology, to avoid confusion with the destroyerHardy.^[13]

The six Brazilian H-class orHavant-class destroyers initially formed the9th Destroyer Flotilla of theHome Fleet assigned toanti-submarine protection ofScapa Flow.^[12] Upon the Germanoccupation of Denmark,Hesperus and hersisterHavant were assigned to cover theBritish occupation of the Faroe Islands in mid-April.^[7] During the Norwegian Campaign,Hesperus transported elements of theScots Guards toMo i Rana on 15 May^[14] and was damaged by near misses fromJunkers Ju 87 dive-bombers that same day. The ship was sent toDundee for repairs that lasted a month.^[12] Upon their completion, the ship was assigned to convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol duties.^[7]

In November 1940^[7] the 9th Destroyer Flotilla was transferred to theWestern Approaches Command and re-designated the 9th Escort Group. On 4 NovemberHesperus rescued 367 survivors from the sinking of thearmed merchant cruiser HMSLaurentic.^[15]

In a tropical storm in January 1941, the platform on which 'B' gun was mounted was lifted until the gun pressed against the bridge.^[16] After repairs, she resumed her convoy escort duties until April when she was assigned toForce H inGibraltar whilst Macintyre transferred to the destroyerWalker in March.Hesperus escorted ships duringOperations Tiger andTracer in May and June.Hesperus was transferred out of Force H as her anti-aircraft capability was believed by AdmiralJames Somerville to be too weak for operations in the Mediterranean. She received a brief refit inLiverpool and was transferred to theNewfoundland Escort Force on 7 July.^[7]

In August 1941,Hesperus was one of the destroyers that escorted thebattleshipPrince of Wales carrying Prime MinisterWinston Churchill to theAtlantic Charter meeting with PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt atPlacentia Bay. The ship was structurally damaged by heavy weather and was temporarily repaired by arepair ship in Iceland and then was given permanent repairs at Immingham.^[8] Upon their completionHesperus rejoined the 9th Escort Group^[7] before she was attached to Force H in December for convoy duties at Gibraltar.^[8]

Together with her sisterHarvester,Hesperus sank theGerman submarine U-208 on 7 December 1941 in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar.^[17] On 15 January 1942, whilst defending Convoy HG 78, the ship's radar detectedU-93 on the surface and thecaptain, Lieutenant Commander A. A. Tait, orderedHesperus toram. Although a glancing hit, the collision was so violent that it flung the U-boat's captain and first lieutenant from the submarine'sconning tower into themotorboat stowed on the destroyer's deck. By dropping depth charges at their shallowest setting and hitting the submarine multiple times with 4.7-inch shells, the submarine's crew was persuaded to abandon ship.Hesperus rescued 40 of the submarine's crew, but was unable to board the submarine before it sank.^[18] The impact flooded part of the forward hull, buckled her starboard hull plating and bent the tips of her starboard propeller. She received temporary repairs at Gibraltar and then was given permanent repairs in Falmouth between 9 February and April.^[9]

In March 1942, the remaining fiveHavant-class destroyers were designated leaders of Escort Groups B-1 through B-5. Commander Tait was transferred toHarvester; and Commander A.F.St.G. Orpen assumed command ofHesperus andB-2 Escort Group whenHesperus completed repairs in April. Commander Macintyre returned to the ship when Orpen was promoted to captain in June. Whilst escorting Convoy HX 219 nearRockall on 26 December,Hesperus and the destroyerVanessa sank theGerman submarine U-357 by ramming. This time, the ship's bottom was ripped open for nearly a quarter of her length and she needed three months of repairs in Liverpool.^[19]

The ship rejoined her group on 17 March and sankU-191 with her Hedgehog on 23 April 1943 whilst escorting Convoy ONS 4. Almost three weeks later, she sankU-186 whilst defending convoy SC 129 on 12 May 1943.Hesperus remained on convoy escort duties until she was refitted between January and 29 March 1944.^[9] Commander G.V. Legassick assumed command ofHesperus in March 1944^[20] and the group escorted convoys between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.^[21] In July 1944 the ship conveyed the body of CaptainFrederic John Walker for a sea-burial.^{[citation needed]}

Later in 1944 she was transferred to the 19th Escort Group. In January 1945, Commander R.A. Currie assumed command ofHesperus as commander of the 14th Escort Group,^[20] based inPlymouth. On 30 April 1945, the ship, together with her sisterHavelock, attacked the wreck ofU-246 northwest of the island ofAnglesey thinking that it wasU-242 which had been spotted by aShort Sunderland flying boat earlier that day.^[20][22]

Two weeks later,Hesperus and the 14th Escort Group escorted a group of surrendered German U-boats fromLoch Alsh toLough Foyle. On 27 May, the ship and her sisterHavelock escorted the exiled Norwegian government back toOslo and remained there until 1 June. Ten days later, she began service as an aircraft target, a role that lasted for the next year.Hesperus was approved for scrapping on 18 February 1946 and was placed in Category Creserve in May. She was towed toGrangemouth for scrapping, but that did not begin until 17 May 1947.^[9]Hesperus's ensign was preserved in Yeovil Parish Church.^[23]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toHMS Hesperus (H57).

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969].Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.OCLC 67375475.
• Brown, David K. (2007).Atlantic Escorts: Ships, Weapons & Tactics in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-012-2.
• Dickens, Peter (1972).HMSHesperus. Windsor, UK: Profile Publications.OCLC 33077697.
• English, John (1993).Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society.ISBN 0-905617-64-9.
• Friedman, Norman (2009).British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
• Haarr, Geirr H. (2010).The Battle for Norway: April – June 1940. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-051-1.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998).British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005).Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (2000).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co.ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

• Jurua-class destroyers
• Ships built in Southampton
• 1939 ships
• G and H-class destroyers of the Royal Navy
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