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Egret Class (1938) Sloop |
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three ships of the Egret Class were a development of the preceding
Bittern
Class (1935). They were slightly larger and had an additional twin 4in
HA gun on the quarterdeck.
The additional firepower was not significant as there was still only one high angle director fitted, which meant that a target would be engaged by eight guns instead of six. If additional targets had to be engaged simultaneously then these would be targeted by inaccurate local control. The second ship was intended to be named Heron and scheduled to be used by the Royal New Zealand Navy and so was renamed Auckland. But with the imminent outbreak of war she was retained by the Royal Navy. Only one, Pelican, survived WW2. The term Sloop was officially dropped in 1937 when Escort Sloops were re-rated as Escort Vessels, but the term continued in unofficial use. An initial requirement to conduct minesweeping duty was reduced as the roles of minesweeping and convoy escort diverged. The required endurance was determined as the longest passage probable as a convoy escort which was the UK to Freetown, 3,500 miles plus a margin for operations. Say about 5000 miles at 10kts.
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- Class Ship Outside Links - References |
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This page last edited -
06 March, 2013.
Copyright © Ian M King, except where otherwise indicated. |
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