HMS Afridi (F07)

History of HMS Afridi (F07)

HMS Afridi's acceptance attempt occurred in a storm on April 29, 1938, but all went well and she was accepted. After completing the usual formalities, she set off from Portland, England, on 27 May to join Malta's Mediterranean Fleet. In July, she left Malta to patrol the waters off Spain's Mediterranean coast. Like all other Royal Navy ships in these waters, the Afridi was painted with broad red, white and blue stripes on the B gun mounts to allow Spanish Republican and Nationalist aircraft to identify neutral Britons. On September 18, 1938, Afridi arrived in Istanbul, Turkey for an official visit.

The Czechoslovakia crisis is sweeping the world, so the rest of the Black Sea cruise is cancelled. Afridi sailed for a brief stop in Alexandria, Egypt, before leaving to join Malta's 4th Destroyer Fleet (4th D.F.). On 23 February 1939, the Afridi sailed for Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean and Home fleets assembled for joint exercises.

With a hundred ships and thirteen admirals in attendance, many aspects of warfare could be tested.

After the outbreak of the war, Afridi was ordered to return to Alexandria for an escort mission. Meanwhile, Italy has taken steps to demonstrate its neutrality, so the expected convoy escort and blockade control is no longer justified. The 4th D.F. was ordered to return to England. Since then, the fleet has effectively lost its identity, and each tribe member has been assigned individual duties by the flag officer under their command.

From April 1940, Afridi, accompanied by her sister ships, participated in numerous naval battles in Norwegian waters.

At 0800 hours on 2 May 1940, HMS Afridi (Captain Philip Louis Vian, DSO, RN) and other ships around her were attacked by German Ju87 and Ju88 while intercepting a convoy escorting off the Norwegian coast bomber attack. The French destroyer Bison was hit and her front magazine exploded.

Afridi joined the HMS Grenade to rescue the survivors and repelled two more airstrikes. 14:00 Ju87 launched another dive attack. An evasive maneuver was not possible since Afridi was a common target for the two aircraft from either side. A bomb hit her boiler room No.

1, causing a fire aft of the mess deck. Another bomb hit the port side in front of the bridge. HMS Imperial and HMS Griffin prepare for rescue work together. In 1445, about 150 nautical miles northwest of the Norwegian island of Vega, Afridi first disembarked at 66?14'N, 05?45'E. She took 49 officers and men, 13 soldiers and more than 30 bison survivors.

This is the second anniversary of it being put into use.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Service

1938

Origins

UK

Status

Lost in action

No longer on duty.

supplement

190

staff

Class information

Class

tribal class

Class Size

32

ships

Class

HMS Tribe (); HMS Afridi (F07)

Operators

UK

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

377.0 feet

114.91m

Ray

36.5 feet

11.13m

Draft

11. 2 feet

3.41m

Shift

2,000 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

3 x Admiralty 3 barrel boiler units with 2 x geared steam turbines producing 44,000 hp on 2 x shafts under the stern.

Surface Velocity

36.0 nodes

(41. 4 mph)

Range

5,735 nm

(6,600 mi | 10,622 km)

kts = knots | mph = miles-per-hour | nm = nautical miles | mi = miles | km = kilometers1 kts = 1. 15 mph | 1 nm = 1. 15 mi | 1 nm = 1. 85 km

ARMAMENT

8 x 4. 7" (120mm) main guns in four twin-gunned mountings. 4 x 2-pounder (40mm / 1. 6") Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns in single quadruple-gunned mounting. 8 x 0. 5" (12. 7) AA Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in two quadruple-gunned mountings. 1 x 21" (533mm) quadruple-tubed torpedo launcher.

1 x Depth charge rack. 2 x Depth charge throwers. 20 x Depth charges.

AIRCRAFT

None.