Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Destroyer R99

HMS Urchin (R99)

V-class destroyer

HMS Urchin (R99)
Beadell, S J (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer — This photograph A 19463 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 4700-01) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — R99 Photograph of British destroyer HMS Urchin underway off Greenock .

Service

  1. Royal Navy as HMS Urchin24 September 1943 — 1964709 days of the war
V-class destroyer Particulars
Name
HMS Urchin
Pennant / hull number
R99
Builder
Vickers-Armstrongs
Laid down
28 March 1942
Launched
8 March 1943
Commissioned
24 September 1943
Decommissioned
1964
Fate
Scrapped 1967 (1967)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications — V class destroyer

Displacement, standard
1,777 long tons (1,806 t)
Displacement, full load
2,058 long tons (2,091 t)
Length
110.64 m (363 ft)
Beam
10.67 m (35 ft)
Draught
3.05 m (10 ft)
Speed
37 knots (68.5 km/h, 42.6 mph)
Range
4,860 nmi (9,001 km)
Complement
180
Main gun
40 mm (1.6 in)

HMS Urchin was a V-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She carried the pennant number R99. Her keel was laid at Vickers-Armstrongs on 28 March 1942. She entered service on 24 September 1943, having been launched on 8 March 1943.

Her class ran to 30 ships. The class followed the Nelson-class battleship and was succeeded by the Lion-class battleship.

Displacement was 1,777 long tons standard and 2,058 long tons at full load. She measured 110.6 m (363 ft) long with a beam of 10.7 m (35 ft). Her designed speed was 37 knots, and she carried a complement of 180. Her main battery was of 40 mm (1.6 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 709 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned in 1964.

She was broken up for scrap in 1967.

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

Armament and machinery

This vessel is recorded in 2 configurations. Wartime refits changed armament and complement substantially, so each is kept separately rather than averaged into one set of figures. The figures above are as built.

V class destroyer
Propulsion
  • 2 × Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers
  • Geared steam turbines, 40000 shp
  • 2 shafts
Armament
  • Original configuration :
  • 4 × QF 4.7-inch (120-mm) Mk XII guns in single mountings CP Mk.XXII
  • 2 × QF 40 mm Bofors guns in twin mount Mk.IV
  • 6 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns; 2 × twin mounts Mk.V, 2 × single mounts Mk.III
  • 2 × quadruple tubes for 21 in torpedo Mk.IX
Type 15 frigate
Displacement, standard
2,300 long tons (2,337 t)
Length
109.12 m (358 ft) OA
Beam
11.28 m (37 ft)
Draught
4.27 m (14 ft)
Speed
31 knots (57.4 km/h, 35.7 mph)
Complement
174
Main gun
102 mm (4 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • steam turbines on 2 shafts
  • 40,000 shp
Armament
  • 1 × twin 4 in gun Mark 19
  • 1 × twin 40mm Bofors Mk.5
  • 2 × Squid A/S mortar or
  • 2 × Limbo Mark 10 A/S mortar

Sister ships

5 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Urchin (R99) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Beadell, S J (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer — This photograph A 19463 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums (collection no. 4700-01) — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons