- Yes
- No
TL;DR:
Bluewater vessel, Australian WW1-era destroyer leader. Reserve-tier destroyer with small guns, some AA, and only 4 torpedoes.
Overview:
The last of the WW1 Parker-class destroyer leaders, HMS Anzac was built by William Denny & Bros. in Scotland originally for the Royal Navy in 1916. The Parker-class destroyer leaders were the first British destroyers to have a superfiring forward turret, and in general was an enlarged version of the preceding Lightfoot-class destroyer leaders. Compared to its sisters, Anzac had its forecastle heightened to allow it to have a greater freeboard, a raked bow, and slightly different funnels.
The ship was completed in 1917 and commissioned into the Royal Navy as the leader of the 14th Destroyer Flotilla at Scapa Flow. It conducted ASW operations, and in 1918 suffered heavy storm damage, which required its funnels to be replaced. It was put into reserve after the war, and in 1919 was transferred to the Australian Navy along with a set of S-class destroyers. During the journey to Australia, it lost a propeller which forced it to return to Britain for repairs. It finally arrived in Australia in April 1920. It welcomed Prince Edward to Australia later that year, but overall spent its Australian service on the southern and eastern waters of Australia and in Sydney, also making a few visits to New Guinea. It was decommissioned in 1926, but only 2 years later was recommissioned. During its second commission it oversaw the flights of pioneer Charles Smith, and also made a journey to the Solomon Islands. In 1931 it was decommissioned for real and placed in reserve. In 1935 it was sold, and was expended the next year.
Specifications:
Armament:
4x1 4"/45 (102mm) QF Mk.IV
2x1 40mm Vickers Mk.IIc
1x2 7.7mm Lewis
2x1 7.7mm Lewis
1x1 7.7mm Vickers-Maxim
2x2 533mm TT
2x DCTDisplacement:
1660 tons standard
1900 tons fullLength: 99.8m
Beam: 9.7m
Draft: 3.7m
Propulsion: 3 Brown-Curtis steam turbines with 4 Yarrow boilers, 36 000 hp, driving 3 shafts
Speed: 32.9 knots (60.9 km/h)
Range: 2500 nmi (at 15 knots)
Crew: 122
Systems:
Rangefinder
Images:
Sources:
Friedman, N. (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War (pp. 437-439). Pen & Sword Books.
Gardiner, R., & Scheina, R. L. (1997). Great Britain and empire forces. In Conway’s all the world’s Fighting Ships 1906-1921 (p. 80). Conway Maritime Press.
Images:
Henshaw, K. (2020). V & W Destroyers (p. 53). Seaforth.
https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?&ref=15533#v