HMS Holderness (L48)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Holderness.

HMS Holderness was a Type I Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which served in World War II. She was scrapped in 1956.

HMS Holderness underway, c1941 (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Holderness
Ordered	11 March 1939
Builder	Swan Hunter, Wallsend
Laid down	29 June 1939
Launched	8 February 1940
Completed	10 August 1940
Identification	Pennant number: L48
Fate	Scrapped, 1956
Badge	On a Field red a Fox's mask holding in the mouth a hunting horn gold
General characteristics
Class and type	Type I Hunt-class destroyer
Displacement	1,050 long tons (1,070 t) standard 1,430 long tons (1,450 t) full load
Length	85.3 m (279 ft 10 in) o/a
Beam	9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	2.51 m (8 ft 3 in)
Propulsion	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2 shaft Parsons geared turbines, 19,000 shp (14,000 kW)
Speed	27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h) 25.5 kn (29.3 mph; 47.2 km/h) full
Range	3,600 nmi (6,700 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)
Complement	164
Armament	4 × QF 4 in Mark XVI guns on twin mounts Mk. XIX 4 × QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII on quad mount MK.VII 2 × 20 mm Oerlikons on single mounts P Mk. III 110 depth charges, 2 throwers, 3 racks

Service history

Holderness was ordered on 21 March 1939 under the 1939 Programme. She was laid down on 29 June 1939 at Swan Hunter, launched on 8 February 1940 and completed on 10 August 1940. The whole of her wartime service was with the 21st Destroyer Flotilla escorting east coast convoys. She saw no foreign service.^[1]

On 10 March 1941 Holderness brought down an enemy aircraft.^[2]

On 20 February 1942 she was engaged in an action with German Schnellboote sinking one of them and taking 18 prisoners.^[1]

She was adopted by the civil community of Amman Valley in Wales as part of Warship Week in 1942.

She earned battle honours during the Second World War for the North Sea 1942–1945.

Following the war she was transferred to the Reserve Fleet at Harwich in 1946.^[1] She remained there until sold to Thos. W. Ward for scrap. She arrived at the breakers yard in Preston on 20 November 1956.^[3]

References

1. English, John (1987). The Hunts : a history of the design, development and careers of 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. Cumbria, England: World Ship Society. ISBN 0905617444.
2. Isle of Man Times, Saturday 15 March 1941; Page: 7
3. Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. p. 26. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• English, John (1987). The Hunts: A history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-44-4.