Town Class Destroyers

A Critical Assessment

John Henshaw

• Publisher: Crowood
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781785004018
• eBook ISBN:
  9781785004025
• Topic: Storia
• Subtopic: Storia militare e marittima

Early in World War II, fifty obsolete US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy in return for a 99-year lease on British bases in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Newfoundland. Though they were obsolete and far from ideal, they played a vital role in the Royal Navy's campaign. This is their complete story. Topics covered include the background to the acquisition of the ships, the Battle of the Atlantic; their specification and design, and modifications in RN service; operations and achievements, such as the St Nazaire raid and finally, losses and accidents. This authoritative text is supported by many contemporary photographs and twenty eight detailed plans prepared specially for this book. Superbly illustrated with fifty contemporary black & white photographs and twenty-eight plans specially drawn by the author.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Glossary
• Note on the Drawings
• 1 Introduction
• 2 The Battle of the Atlantic
• 3 Acquisition
• 4 The Ships
• 5 Specifications
• 6 Design
• 7 Material Deficiencies
• 8 Stage 1 Refit – Initial Modifications
• 9 Stage 2 Refit – Further Modifications
• 10 Long-Range Escorts
• 11 HMS Campbeltown and Operation Chariot
• 12 Operations
• 13 Camouflage
• 14 Repairs and Maintenance
• 15 Collisions, Groundings and Other Catastrophes
• 16 Achievements
• 17 Losses
• 18 Towns as Monitors
• 19 Flush-Deckers In USN Service
• 20 Fifty Ships that Saved the World?
• 21 Conclusions
• Appendix I List of Town Class Destroyers
• Appendix II All Shipping and U-Boat Losses
• Appendix III Average Monthly Shipping Losses and Construction of Allied and Neutral Nations
• Appendix IV Approximate U-Boat Numbers
• Appendix V Shipping Sunk by Submarines and Submarines Sunk
• Bibliography
• Index