Design and description
The Douro-class ships were designed by the British shipbuilder Yarrows and were based on Ambuscade, a prototype destroyer built for the Royal Navy in 1926 by Yarrow. [1] They were 323 feet (98.45 m) long overall, with a beam of 31 feet (9.45 m) and a draught of 11 feet (3.35 m). The ships displaced 1,219 long tons (1,239 t) at standard load and 1,563 long tons (1,588 t) at full load. [2]
The Douros were powered by two Parsons-Curtis geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by three Yarrow boilers. The turbines, rated at 33,000 shaft horsepower (25,000 kW ), were intended to give a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). The destroyers carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 5,400 nautical miles (10,000 km; 6,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). [2] [3]
Armament was similar to contemporary Royal Navy destroyers, with a gun armament of four 4.7 in (120 mm) Vickers-Armstrong Mk G guns, and three 2-pounder (40 mm (1.6 in)) Mk VIII anti-aircraft guns. Two quadruple banks of 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes were carried, while two depth charge throwers and 12 depth charges constituted the ships' anti-submarine armament. Up to 20 mines could be carried. The ships' complement consisted of 147 officers and men. [2]
The C class was a class of 32 destroyers of the Royal Navy that were launched from 1943 to 1945. The class was built in four flotillas of 8 vessels, the "Ca", "Ch", "Co" and "Cr" groups or sub-classes, ordered as the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Emergency Flotillas respectively. The sub-class names are derived from the initial 2 letters of the member ships' names, although the "Ca" class were originally ordered with a heterogeneous mix of traditional destroyer names. A fifth flotilla, the "Ce" or 15th Emergency Flotilla, was planned but were cancelled in favour of the Weapon-class destroyers after only the first two ships had been ordered. The pennant numbers were all altered from "R" superior to "D" superior at the close of World War II; this involved some renumbering to avoid duplications.
HMS Ambuscade was a British Royal Navy destroyer which served in the Second World War. She and her Thornycroft competitor, HMS Amazon, were prototypes designed to exploit advances in construction and machinery since World War I and formed the basis of Royal Navy destroyer evolution up to the Tribal of 1936.
The Soldati class were a group of destroyers built for the Regia Marina during World War II. The ships were named after military professions. There were two batches; twelve ships were built in 1938–1939, and a second batch of seven ships were ordered in 1940, although only five were completed.
The Yugoslav destroyer Split was a large destroyer designed for the Royal Yugoslav Navy in the late 1930s. Construction began in 1939, but she was captured incomplete by the Italians during the invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. They continued to build the ship, barring a brief hiatus, but she was not completed before she was scuttled after the Italian surrender in September 1943. The Germans occupied Split and refloated the destroyer later that year, but made no efforts to continue work. The ship was scuttled again before the city was taken over by the Yugoslav Partisans in late 1944. Split was refloated once more, but the new Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was able to do little with her before the Tito–Stalin Split in 1948 halted most work. Aid and equipment from the United States and the United Kingdom finally allowed her to be completed 20 years after construction began. She was commissioned in July 1958 and served as the navy's flagship for most of her career. Split became a training ship in the late 1970s after a boiler explosion. She was decommissioned in 1980, and scrapped six years later.
The Mendoza class were a series of three destroyers built in the United Kingdom for the Argentine Navy in the 1920s. They were the first part of the Argentine re-armament programme of the 1920s. Construction began in 1927 and all three were commissioned in 1929. All three destroyers were converted to anti-aircraft escorts in 1958 and remained in service until 1962 when they were discarded.
The G-class destroyers were a proposed class of eight destroyers of the Royal Navy ordered during the Second World War under the 1944 Programme. Two were ordered on 24 July 1944, and six more on 30 August 1944, but all were cancelled on 13 December 1945, after the end of the war.
HMS Milne was a M-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served during World War II. She was equipped as a flotilla leader.
The Dealey-class destroyer escorts were the first post-World War II escort ships built for the United States Navy.
ARC Antioquia was the name ship of her class of two destroyers built during the 1930s for the Armada Nacional República de Colombia. Originally ordered by the Portuguese Navy, they were purchased by Colombia while still under construction. Antioquia was discarded in 1960 and subsequently scrapped.
The Antioquia class of destroyers consisted of two ships, ARC Antioquia and ARC Caldas, used by the navy of Colombia, the Armada Nacional República de Colombia, between 1934 and 1961. Initially constructed at the Lisbon Naval Arsenal as part of the Portuguese Navy's Douro class, they were acquired by Colombia before completion in response to the Peruvian purchase of two destroyers during the war with Peru. They arrived too late to see service in the conflict and saw little action during their service lives. They underwent a major refit in the mid-1950s which saw their armament completely redone. Following their removal from service in 1961, they were broken up for scrap.
HMS Comet was one of thirty-two C-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, a member of the eight-ship Co sub-class.
The Guadiana class was a class of four destroyers employed by the Portuguese Navy between 1913 and 1942. This class is often alternatively referred as the Douro class.
The Douro class destroyers consisted of five ships used by the Portuguese Navy and two used by the Colombian Navy, all built during the 1930s. Note, that, in Portugal, this class of destroyers is usually referred to as the Vouga class, with the term Douro class being usually employed to designate the previous class of Portuguese destroyers also known as Guadiana class.
NRP Dão was one of five Douro-class destroyer built for the Portuguese Navy during the 1930s. She remained in service until 1960, being refitted and re-armed several times and taking place in a coup attempt in 1936.
HMS Cottesmore was a Hunt-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The ship was built by the Scottish shipbuilder Yarrow at their Scotstoun, Glasgow shipyard in 1939–1940, being launched on 5 September 1940 and commissioning on 29 December that year.
Grecale was one of four Maestrale-class destroyers built for the Regia Marina in the early 1930s. Completed in 1934, she served in World War II. She survived the war and continued her service with Marina Militare until 1964.
NRP Douro was one of five Douro-class destroyer built for the Portuguese Navy during the 1930s. She remained in service until 1959.
NRP Lima was one of five Douro-class destroyer built for the Portuguese Navy during the 1930s. She remained in service until the early 1960s.
NRP Vouga was one of five Douro-class destroyer built for the Portuguese Navy during the 1930s. She remained in service until the early 1960s.
ARC Caldas was one of two Antioquia-class destroyers built for the Colombian Navy during the 1930s. Originally ordered for the Portuguese Navy, the two ships were purchased by Colombia while still under construction. She was discarded in 1960 and subsequently scrapped.
Portugal
