Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Destroyer 1943

HMS Wakeful (1943)

W-class destroyer

HMS Wakeful (1943)
Royal Navy official photographer — This photograph HMS Wakeful (1943) comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — 1943 Photograph of British destroyer HMS Wakeful .

Service

  1. Royal Navy as HMS Wakeful17 February 1944 — 10 June 1971563 days of the war
W-class destroyer Particulars
Name
HMS Wakeful
Pennant / hull number
1943
Builder
Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Scotland
Ordered
3 December 1941
Laid down
3 June 1942
Launched
30 June 1943
Commissioned
17 February 1944
Fate
Sold for scrap on 10 June 1971 (1971)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications — As W class

Displacement, standard
1,710 long tons (1,737 t)
Length
110.57 m (362.8 ft) OA
Beam
10.9 m (35.8 ft)
Draught
3.05 m (10 ft)
Speed
36 knots (66.7 km/h, 41.4 mph)
Range
4,675 nmi (8,658 km)
Complement
179
Main gun
40 mm (1.6 in)

HMS Wakeful was a W-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. She carried the pennant number 1943. Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Scotland laid her keel on 3 June 1942. She entered service on 17 February 1944, having been launched on 30 June 1943.

She displaced 1,710 long tons. She measured 110.6 m (363 ft) long with a beam of 10.9 m (36 ft). Her designed speed was 36 knots, and she carried a complement of 179. Her main battery was of 40 mm (1.6 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 563 days of the Second World War.

She was broken up for scrap on 10 June 1971.

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.

As W class
Propulsion
  • 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
  • Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines
  • 40000 shp, 2 shafts
Armament
  • 4 × QF 4.7-inch (120-mm) L/45 Mk.IX, single mounts CP Mk.XXII
  • 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk.VIII, quad mount Mk.VII, or
  • 2 × QF 40 mm Bofors, twin mount "Hazemeyer" Mk.IV
  • 4 × A/A mountings
  • twin 20 mm Oerlikon Mk.V
  • single Bofors 40 mm Mk.III or "Boffin" Mk.V
  • single QF 2 pdr Mk.XVI
  • 8 (4x2) tubes for 21 inch (533 mm) torpedoes Mk.IX
  • 2 racks & 4 throwers for 70 depth charges
Type 15 frigate
Displacement, standard
2,300 long tons (2,337 t)
Length
109.12 m (358 ft) OA
Beam
11.51 m (37.8 ft)
Draught
4.42 m (14.5 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
  • 40000 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

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Wakeful (1943) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Royal Navy official photographer — This photograph HMS Wakeful (1943) comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons