Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Destroyer F20

HMS Gurkha (F20)

Tribal-class destroyer

HMS Gurkha (F20)
Royal Navy official photographer — This photograph FL 1657 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 8308-29 [1] ) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — F20 The Tribal class destroyer HMS Cossack (F03) underway on completion.

Service

  1. Royal Navy as Gurkha? — 9 April 1940221 days of the war
Tribal-class destroyer Particulars
Name
HMS Gurkha
Pennant / hull number
F20
Namesake
Gurkha
Builder
Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan
Ordered
10 March 1936
Laid down
6 July 1936
Launched
7 July 1937
Fate
Sunk by aircraft, 9 April 1940
By aircraft (1940)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, standard
1,891 long tons (1,921 t)
Displacement, full load
2,519 long tons (2,559 t)
Length
114.91 m (377 ft) OA
Beam
10.97 m (36 ft)
Draught
3.35 m (11 ft)
Speed
36 knots (66.7 km/h, 41.4 mph)
Range
5,700 nmi (10,556 km)
Complement
190
Main gun
120 mm (4.7 in)

HMS Gurkha was a Tribal-class destroyer in service with the Royal Navy. She carried the pennant number F20. The ship was named after Gurkha. Her keel was laid at Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan on 6 July 1936. She was launched on 7 July 1937.

Her class ran to 24 ships. The class followed the I-class destroyer and was succeeded by the J class.

Displacement was 1,891 long tons standard and 2,519 long tons at full load. She measured 114.9 m (377 ft) long with a beam of 11.0 m (36 ft). Her designed speed was 36 knots, and she carried a complement of 190.

Her main battery was eight 119 mm (4.7 in) guns in four twin mountings. Her machinery developed 44,000 shp.

She was in commission for 221 days of the Second World War.

She was sunk on 9 April 1940 by aircraft, at 59°13′N 4°00′E. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
Power
  • 3 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • 44000 shp
Armament
  • 4 × twin 4.7 in (120 mm) guns
  • 1 × quadruple 2-pdr (40 mm) AA guns
  • 2 × quadruple 0.5 in (12.7 mm) anti-aircraft machineguns
  • 1 × quadruple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
  • 20 × depth charges, 1 × rack, 2 × throwers

Sister ships

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Gurkha (F20) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Royal Navy official photographer — This photograph FL 1657 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 8308-29 [1] ) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons