Английская Википедия:HMS Escort (H66)

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Other ships Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Use British English

Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship characteristics

HMS Escort was an E-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. Although assigned to the Home Fleet upon completion, the ship was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1935–36, during the Abyssinia Crisis. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, she spent considerable time in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict. Escort was assigned to convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol duties in the Western Approaches, when World War II began in September 1939. During the Norwegian Campaign, the ship escorted ships of the Home Fleet, although she did tow her sister Шаблон:HMS after the latter ship had been badly damaged by German air attack. Escort was assigned to Force H in late June, and participated in the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir in early July. She was torpedoed a few days later by an Italian submarine, but was towed for three days towards Gibraltar before she foundered.

Description

The E-class ships were slightly improved versions of the preceding D class. They displaced Шаблон:Convert at standard load and Шаблон:Convert at deep load. The ships had an overall length of Шаблон:Convert, a beam of Шаблон:Convert and a draught of Шаблон:Convert. They were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of Шаблон:Convert and gave a maximum speed of Шаблон:Convert. Escort carried a maximum of Шаблон:Convert of fuel oil that gave her a range of Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert. The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.[1]

The ships mounted four 45-calibre 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. The E class was fitted with two above-water quadruple torpedo tube mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|Шаблон:Convert]] torpedoes.[2] One depth charge rail and two throwers were fitted; 20 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.[3]

Service

Escort was ordered from Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, at Greenock, Scotland on 1 November 1932, under the 1931 Construction Programme. She was laid down on 30 March 1933, and launched on 29 March 1934. She was commissioned on 30 October 1934, at a total cost of £249,587, excluding government-furnished equipment like the armament.[4] Upon commissioning the ship was assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, aside from a brief deployment in the West Indies between January and March 1935. Afterwards, she was refitted in Sheerness from 27 March to 30 April. Escort was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet from September 1935 to March 1936, during the Abyssinian Crisis. She struck a lock while at Sheerness and required seven weeks of repairs that were not completed until 5 September. The ship patrolled Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War, enforcing the edicts of the Non-Intervention Committee until 24 March 1939, when she returned to the United Kingdom. Escort became tender to the light cruiser Шаблон:HMS of the Reserve Fleet upon her return, and was not recommissioned until 2 August, when she was assigned to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla.[5]

On 3 September, Escort and her sister Шаблон:HMS rescued some 300-odd survivors from the ocean liner Шаблон:SS,[6] which had been torpedoed by the Шаблон:Ship.[7] The ship was assigned to convoy escort and anti-submarine duties in the Western Approaches Command. She was transferred to Rosyth in December, for similar duties in the North Sea. Escort was refitted at Falmouth between 10 January and 12 February 1940, and resumed her duties afterwards.[6] Together with the destroyers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS, she sank the Шаблон:GS on 25 February,[8] after the German vessel had been spotted by the submarine Шаблон:HMS some Шаблон:Convert east of the Orkney Islands.[9]

When the Norwegian Campaign began in early April, Escort was transferred to the Home Fleet, and was screening the capital ships when they sortied into the North Sea looking for the German ship on 9 April. After her sister Eclipse was damaged by air attack on 11 April, Escort towed her to Sullom Voe.[10] The ship escorted the aircraft carriers Шаблон:HMS and Шаблон:HMS from 25 April, as their aircraft attacked German targets in Norway. She accompanied Glorious when that ship returned to Scapa Flow to refuel and replenish her aircraft on 27 April.[11] The ship was slightly damaged in a collision with the Polish ocean liner Chrobry on 11 May. Escort was based in Scapa Flow as part of the Home Fleet until 26 June, when she sailed for Gibraltar to join Force H. It is uncertain if her rear set of torpedo tubes were replaced by a [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|Шаблон:Convert (12-pounder)]] AA gun at this time. She arrived on 2 July,[6] and joined Force H in attacking ships of the French Navy at Mers-el-Kébir the next day. During Operation MA 5, a planned air attack on Italian airfields in Sardinia, Escort was torpedoed by the Шаблон:Ship on 11 July after the attack had been cancelled due to lack of surprise.[12] The torpedo blew a hole Шаблон:Convert wide between the two boiler rooms, but only killed two members of the crew. Later that morning she foundered.[6]

Notes

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References

Шаблон:E and F class destroyer Шаблон:July 1940 shipwrecks Шаблон:Coord

Шаблон:Good article

  1. Lenton, p. 156
  2. Whitley, p. 103
  3. English, p. 141
  4. English, pp. 63–64
  5. English, p. 71
  6. 6,0 6,1 6,2 6,3 English, p. 72
  7. Rohwer, p. 2
  8. Rohwer, p. 16
  9. English, p. 120
  10. English, p. 113
  11. Haarr, pp. 146, 150
  12. Rohwer, p. 32