- Yes
- No
- Tech Tree
- Event/Gift
- Premium
- Squadron
- I don’t want to see it added
HMS Javelin
HMS Javelin at anchor, possibly in Alexandria. ~1942(?)
Background
HMS Javelin was one of 8 J-class destroyers, being the last one overall to be launched. She falls under the J-, K-, and N-class umbrella, in total a “class” of 24 ships. She was ordered in 1937, launched on the 21th of December, 1938, and commissioned on the 10th of June, 1939.
The J-, K-, and N-classes were supposed to be a smaller follow-on to the Tribals that had preceded them. They incorporated a twin boiler room layout, allowing for reduced length and profile, as well as trunking exhaust through one funnel to improve arcs of fire for AA guns. Two boiler rooms allowed redundancy in the event one was hit, but increased risk if there was a hit at the midpoint between the two; the risk associated with this was deemed to be low enough to compensate for the added benefits. The armament of the ships was based on the Tribals, but reduced the number of 4.7in guns from four twin turrets to three twin turrets, to allow another bank of torpedo tubes. The torpedo tubes themselves had finally been upgraded to quintuple, or “pentad” launchers, allowing a heavy torpedo load of 10 torpedoes to be carried. They possessed no dedicated H/A (High Angle) rangefinder, instead a 12ft (3.7m) rangefinder was carried behind the DCT (Director Control Tower), modified to allow the main armament to be used as AA. They also possessed a Fuze Keeping Clock, allowing increased lethality against air targets when paired with radar.
Service
Javelin’s pennant flag would be changed from ‘F61’ to ‘G61’ in May of 1940, right as the Second World War began, and as one of the most powerful destroyers the Royal Navy had at the outbreak of war, she was committed extensively. On the 29th of November, 1940, Javelin took part in a night action against the destroyers Z10 Hans Lody, Z4 Richard Beitzen, and Z20 Karl Galster, which resulted in Javelin being struck by at least two torpedoes, and losing both the bow and the stern. of the 108m (353ft) of the original ship, only 47m (155ft) remained.
Pamphlet showing the bow and stern missing
Javelin was successfully towed back to the UK where she would undergo major repairs, entailing replacing the bow and stern, eventually being redeployed in March of 1942, almost two years after she had been damaged. In May of 1942, Javelin participated in Operation Ironclad, or the Battle of Madagascar. Soon after, in June of 1942, she would participate in the ill-fated Operation Vigorous, an attempt to escort convoy MW11 to Malta. Javelin did not take any serious damage in either operation. In May of 1943, Javelin returned to the UK to undergo a refit, competing by February of 1944. She would continue to participate in various roles until the end of the war, where she was then reduced to reserve status in 1946, ultimately being sold for scrap in 1949.
Specifications
1945, post 1943-1944 refit.
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 2,370 tons |
| Length | 356ft 3in (108.7m) |
| Beam | 35ft 9in (10.9m) |
| Draft | 12ft 6in (3.8m) |
| Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h) |
| Complement | 183 officers and enlisted |
| Sensors | |
|---|---|
| Type 293 | Air/Surface Search and Ranging |
| Type 291M | Air Search/Warning |
| Type 285 | Anti-Air Gunnery |
| Weapon | Turret/Mount |
|---|---|
| 6 × 4.7"(120mm)/45 Mk XII | 3 × Twin CP Mk XIX |
| 6 × 20mm/70 Oerlikon | 2 x Single, 2 x Twin |
| 4 × 40mm/39 Pom-Pom | 1 x Mk VII Quad |
| 10 x 21" (533mm) Mk IX** or Mk XI Torpedo | 2 x Quintuple |
| ? x Mk VII Heavy Depth Charge | Mk V “Y-Gun” Thrower |
J-class destroyer profile, as built in 1939. Not included are the radars or the Oerlikons, most other things were the same.
Conclusion
HMS Javelin would bring a J-class destroyer to the tree. Currently, the only J-class destroyer is HMS Jervis, which is premium, and also the flotilla leader of the J-class. In most respects, Javelin is similar to Jervis, having 10 torpedoes instead of 9. There would also be a difference between Javelin and the current K- and N-class ships in game, HMS Kelvin and HMAS Nepal respectively. Javelin combines the best of these two destroyers, with the modern radar and fire control of Nepal (and by extension Jervis) with the 10 torpedoes of Kelvin.
I personally would like to see this added, seeing as there’s already the K- and N-class available in the tree, it feels like it is missing a J-class. Javelin, if added in her 1944-1945 configuration, would also provide a balance between the K-class HMS Kelvin and the N-class HMAS Nepal, allowing a decent cap-off of the J-, K-, and N-class ships.
Sources
Wikipedia - HMS Javelin
Wikipedia - J-, K-, and N-class Destroyers
naval-history - HMS Javelin
uboat - HMS Javelin
ww2ships - J-class Destroyers
navweaps - 4.7"/45 (120mm) QF Mk IX and Mk XII
navweaps - WWII Torpedoes of the United Kingdom
navweaps - ASW Weapons of the United Kingdom
edited - I forgot to add the second poll