File:HMS Veteran (D72) Model.jpg

English: A model of the V&W Class destroyer HMS Veteran at the Glasgow Transport Museum, 2 March 2007. These ships (of 6 sub classes) comprised one of the most successful destroyer designs ever built and when introduced were probably the most advanced and powerful destroyers of the time, building on the experience of past British destroyer designs but also setting a pattern for future British destroyer designs.

The standard British destroyer design being produced in 1916-17 were the very successful R Class of about 1,000 tons. To lead the flotillas of R’s the Admiralty built 5 V Class flotilla leaders, launched and completed in 1917. However, with an expected threat of new, large, powerful German destroyers to be faced (not actually built!), it was decided to adopt the design as the new standard British destroyer, although with smaller bridges and less staff accommodation as they were not envisaged as leaders. 23 Admiralty-designed V’s were completed in 1917-18.

It was then decided that the design could cope with the two twin torpedo tubes being upgraded to triple tubes so the 24th V to be ordered was completed as such and became the first of the W Class (and the only one to have a name beginning with V rather than W!). Including the prototype, 19 Admiralty W’s were completed in 1918, identical to the V’s except for the triple tubes. At the same time as the W’s were being built, the V’s were being refitted with triple tubes to make them indistinguishable from the V’s. As was usual at the time, the two leading destroyer builders of the era were asked to build ships of their own design to the same general specifications as the Admiralty-designed ships. Thornycroft completed 2 V’s in 1918 to be immediately followed by 2 W’s. However, 2 Yarrow-designed W’s were cancelled.

The next step in the development of the V&W’s arose with the introduction of a new, powerful destroyer gun – the 4.7” Mk.I gun. Both the Admiralty and Thornycroft produced designs for the new ships. The Thornycroft Modified W Class were launched in 1919 and completed in 1920 and 1924. An impressive 52 Admiralty Modified W’s were ordered (though many with V names as they had run out of names beginning with W!). However, the end of the war resulted in 38 being cancelled (9 being broken up on the slip). The remaining 14 ahios were all launched in 1919 and most were completed the same year but 5 weren’t completed until the 1920-27 period. The Modified W’s were too late for WWI, therefore.

With 6 variations on the basic design, details varied considerably: they measured 312 ft x 29.5-30.5 ft x 10.5-11 ft and weighed 1,090 – 1,190 ton or (V leaders) 1,316-1,340 tons. Engine power varied from 27,000 – 30,000 ihp so with 2 screws speeds varied between 34-37 kts. Armament was 4x4” (Mod W 4.7”) (4x1), 1x3”AA, 1 (V) 2 (W) x2pdr AA guns, 6x21” TT (2x3) (V originally 4x21” TT [2x2]).

The various V&W/Modified W class ships were the backbone of the Royal Navy destroyer flotillas in the 1920’s, being only gradually replaced in the 1930’s by the A-I Classes. However most were still in service or reserve on the outbreak of WWII; only 5 V’s had been scrapped (in 1932-37), 3 had been lost in WWI and the 1919 Russian Campaign and 1 W had been wrecked in 1938. In 1937 the Admiralty realised that air attack would be of prime importance in the forthcoming war and although AA sloops of the Black Swan Class were being designed, the V&W’s would be ideal candidates for conversion to AA Escort Destroyers to supplement the sloops. In 1938-41 15 ‘WAIR’ extensive conversions took place (7 V’s, 1 Thornycroft V, 5 W’s, 2 Thornycroft W’s) with an armament of 4x4” AA (2X2), 2x2 pdr AA (2x1), 4x20mm AA (4x1) guns or 8x0.5” mg (2x4). The torpedo tubes were removed.

The WAIRs were very effective ships – but the conversion was expensive and took too long considering the urgent need for convoy escorts. So two cheaper and quicker alternative schemes were adopted: the Long Range Escort (LRE) whereby removal of a boiler room and funnel to be replaced by extra bunkerage and accommodation, the reduction in power to 18,000-20,000 ihp and speed to 25 kts being acceptable. Main armament was reduced to 2 or 3x4” or 2x4.7” guns but the secondary armament varied enormously with combinations of 3”, 12 pdr, 2 pdr and 20 mm AA guns. A Hedgehog A/S weapon was also usually fitted. One set of triple torpedo tubes were retained. 9 V’s, 1 Thornycroft V, 6 W’s and 6 Modified W’s were so converted. The other option was even more minimal: the Short Range Escort (SRE) whereby one or two of the main guns and a set of torpedo tubes were removed and a variable secondary AA armament (whatever was available at the time!) fitted as well as a Hedgehog; 1 V, 2 W’s, 6 W’s and 2 Thornycroft Modified W’s were so converted.

This left 4 V’s, 4 W’s and 2 Modified W’s which remained unaltered in the war (apart from a minor strengthening of AA armament), mainly because they were lost early in the war, but 2 managed to survive largely in original form to the end of WWII. 18 were lost in the war and the remainder scrapped in 1945-49.

Ironically, although the newer destroyers had largely taken over the V&W’s role as Fleet Destroyers, it was 4 V&W’s plus 2 Scott leaders, also of WWI vintage, that – even though relegated to the escort destroyer role (for East Coast convoys) that launched the only traditional torpedo attack against a German battle fleet (as opposed to a single capital ship) in WWII. In 1942 the flotilla happened to be engaged in gunnery exercises off Orford Ness when they were ordered to attack the surprise breakout from Brest of the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the large heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, escorted by 6 heavy destroyers (in themselves far more powerful than the British destroyers), 14 torpedo boats and 26 E-boats plus aircraft. What must have been one of the bravest – but forlorn –attacks in Royal Navy history was carried out, even knowingly sailing through a German minefield in the process, but no torpedoes hit and HMS Worcester was very badly damaged by Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen, but somehow survived. Ironically both battlecruisers hit three of their own mines but whereas Scharnhorst was fully repaired, the Gneisenau was even more badly damaged by a subsequent air attack on Kiel and was never fully repaired so saw no further action in the war.

In relation to HMS Veteran, she was an Admiralty Modified W Class destroyer built by John Brown, Clydebank. She was launched in 1918 and completed in 1919, too late for WWI. But she did see service in WWII. She was brought out of reserve in 1939 and at first received minimum changes to suit her more for escort duties: the after bank of torpedo tubes were replaced by a 12 pdr gun whilst the 4.7” gun in Y position was removed to allow greater stowage of depth charges. 2x20 mm AA guns were later fitted. She served on East Coast convoy protection duties and in 1941, with HMS Leamington, she sank U-207.

In 1942 it was decided to give her a more thorough conversion to a SRE. As such, she had the 4.7” A gun removed and replaced by a Hedgehog Ahead Throwing Weapon (the most effective A/S weapon at the time), her AA armament was increased and she had her radar suite upgraded. Her armament then amounted to 2x4.7” (in B and X positions), 1x3” AA, 3x2 pdr AA (3x1), 4x20mm AA (4x1), 1 Hedgehog ATW and 3x21” TT. She was allocated to Canadian-American convoys as the U-Boats were targeting North American East Coast convoys at the time. However, she didn’t last long. In September 1942 she was hit by two torpedoes from U-404, exploded and sank immediately with all hands (plus survivors from the merchantman SS New York).