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 Matabele | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Matabele |
| Namesake | Southern Ndebele people |
| Ordered | 19 June 1936 |
| Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering,Greenock |
| Cost | £342,005 |
| Laid down | 1 October 1936 |
| Launched | 6 October 1937 |
| Completed | 25 January 1939 |
| Identification | Pennant numbers: L26, later F26 |
| Motto | Hamba Gahle: " Go in Peace." |
| Fate | Sunk, 17 January 1942 |
| 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 |
|
HMSMatabele was aTribal-classdestroyer of theRoyal Navy that saw service inWorld War II, being sunk by aU-boat on 17 January 1942. She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the nameMatabele, which in common with the other ships of the Tribal class, was named after an ethnic group of theBritish Empire. In this case, this was the Anglicisation of theNdebele people ofZimbabwe.
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.[1] The ships displaced 1,891long tons (1,921 t) atstandard load and 2,519 long tons (2,559 t) atdeep load.[2] They had anoverall length of 377 feet (114.9 m), abeam of 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m)[3] and adraught of 11 feet 3 inches (3.43 m).[4] 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).[3] During hersea trialsMatabele made 36.8 knots (68.2 km/h; 42.3 mph) from 44,299 shp (33,034 kW) at a displacement of 1,964 long tons (1,996 t).[5] 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).[4] 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.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8]
The ships were fitted with a single above-water quadruple mount for21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.[6] 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;[9] Twenty depth charges was the peacetime allotment, but this increased to 30 during wartime.[10]
Heavy losses toGerman air attack during theNorwegian Campaign demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Tribals' anti-aircraft suite and the RN decided in May 1940 to replace 'X' mount with twoQF 4-inch (102 mm) Mark XVIdual-purpose guns in a twin-gun mount. To better control the guns, the existing rangefinder/director was modified to accept aType 285gunnery radar as they became available. The number of depth charges was increased to 46 early in the war, and still more were added later.[11] To increase the firing arcs of the AA guns, the rearfunnel was shortened and themainmast was reduced to a short pole mast.[12]
Authorized as one of nine Tribal-class destroyers under the 1936 Naval Estimates,[13]Matabele has been the first and only ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy.[14] The ship was ordered on 19 June 1936 fromScotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company and waslaid down on 1 October at the company'sGreenockshipyard.Launched on 6 October 1937,Matabele wascommissioned on 25 January 1939 at a cost of£342,005 which excluded weapons and communications outfits furnished by theAdmiralty.[15]
She was initially assigned to the 2nd Tribal Destroyer Flotilla of theHome Fleet, which was renamed the6th Destroyer Flotilla in April 1939.Her early career with the flotilla mostly involved port visits and exercises. On 12 May she escorted theocean linerRMS Empress of Australia through theEnglish Channel.Empress of Australia was carryingKing George VI andQueen Elizabeth on theirRoyal Tour toCanada. In JuneMatabele was assigned to assist in rescue operations for the strickensubmarineThetis which had sunk during builder's trials inLiverpool Bay. On her release from these duties,Matabele resumed her Home Fleet programme with the Flotilla. With war looming, she took up her Home Fleet war station in August, and was deployed for interception and anti-submarine patrol in Home waters.
On the outbreak of theSecond World War,Matabele carried out duties including the interception of German shipping attempting to return to German ports andcommerce raiders on passage to attack British shipping in theAtlantic Ocean, as well as patrols to intercept U-boats operating in Home waters. On 25 September she was deployed with sistersSomali andMashona to search for the submarineSpearfish, which had been badly damaged during a patrol inHeligoland Bight. Having successfully made contact withSpearfish on 26 September, they escorted her back to the UK under the cover of major warships of the Home Fleet.
Through October to December,Matabele carried out patrols to intercept German ships on passage for attacks on coastal shipping, as well as heading into the Atlantic Ocean for attacks on convoys or for submarineminelayers. She also carried out screening duties for major Home Fleet warships. In January and February 1940 she was under repair atHMNB Devonport for work which included the replacement of turbine blades, damaged due to excess stress during high speed steaming in inclement weather, and the installation ofde-gaussing equipment for protection against magneticmines. She returned to active service in March, and took part in convoy escorts to and from Norway, as well as sweeps to intercept German warships. Whilst carrying out these duties,Matabele came under heavy air attacks on 13 April, and again on 16 April, but escaped undamaged. On 17 April she escorted thecruisersEffingham andCoventry toBodø. On 18 April she ran aground on Foksen shoal, but managed to re-float with damage to her structure.Effingham also ran aground, but suffered serious damage.Matabele took off troops and equipment from the stricken cruiser, after whichMatabele scuttledEffingam with torpedoes and gunfire.
She continued supporting operations off Norway, and then returned to the UK at the end of May for repairs and a refit atFalmouth. This work lasted until July and involved the replacement of her twin 4.7-inch mounting in "X" position aft with a twin 4 inch HA mounting to improve her defence against air attacks. She returned to active service after post refit trials on 19 August. She continued to serve in Home waters and off Norway. On 22 October she andSomali attacked a convoy offÅndalsnes and on 23 October she.Somali andPunjabi sank the Germanweather shipWBS 5 Adolf Vinnen offStadlandet.[16]Matabele sank acoaster. November and December were spent operating out ofScapa Flow, including forming part of a screen for the search for the German raiderAdmiral Scheer which had been reported on passage to attack theAtlantic convoys.
In January 1941 she screened minelaying operations off Norway and on 16 January she escorted thebattleshipKing George V, then on passage to theUnited States carryingLord Halifax and senior defence personnel, through theNorth Western Approaches. Further screening of minelaying operations followed. In March she began to escort convoys, but entered refit again inVickers-Armstrong'sBarrow-in-Furness yards on 11 April. This lasted until May and consisted of the removal of the mainmast and the top of the after funnel to improve the arcs of fire for her close range weapons. A Type 286Mradar was also fitted. On her departure from Barrow on 5 June to rejoin the fleet, she grounded and sustained major damage to her underwater fittings, including her shaft brackets and propellers. She returned to Barrow for repairs, which lasted until mid August.
On 30 August she was deployed with theaircraft carrierArgus, the cruiserShropshire and the destroyersPunjabi andSomali on a mission to deliverRAF equipment and personnel to North Russia to support Soviet military operations after theSoviet Union had entered the war. The operation was completed successfully and the ships returned to Scapa Flow on 15 November.Matabele spent October to December on patrol, and screening operations off Norway.
In January 1942 she formed the screen, withSomali, for the cruiserTrinidad onConvoy PQ 8 fromIceland toMurmansk. The convoy of eight merchant ships plus escorts departed on 11 January, and came undertorpedo attack on 17 January one day short of their destination byGerman submarine U-454 under the command ofKapitänleutnant Burkhard Hackländer.[17] The first sunk was the Russian trawlerRT-68 Enisej at 6.32 am. That evening the merchant shipHarmatis was hit at 6.46pm by a single torpedo and taken in tow by the minesweeper HMSSpeedwell, with theMatabele providing escort as the rest of the convoy continued on ahead.U-454 was able to manoeuvre into a suitable position and at 10.21 pm fired and hit theMatabele in the stern area with a single torpedo which detonated a magazine, causing the destroyer to sink in less than two minutes at position 69.21N 35.24E.[17]
Unable to free theirCarley life rafts the surviving crew were forced to jump overboard into the freezing sea, with many being killed when theMatabele's depth charges exploded as the ship sank.[17] The ice-cold sea temperatures then caused further loss of life to such an extent that out of her complement of 238 only two survived of the four that were rescued up by theminesweeperHarrier.[17]
69°21′N35°27′E / 69.350°N 35.450°E /69.350; 35.450
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1942 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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