Willamina Class Destroyer
1943 refit
Willamina, Antaran destroyer laid down 1943
Displacement:
2 444 t light; 2 527 t standard; 2 785 t normal; 2 992 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(406,83 ft / 403,54 ft) x 40,19 ft x (13,12 / 13,82 ft)
(124,00 m / 123,00 m) x 12,25 m x (4,00 / 4,21 m)
Armament:
8 - 5,00" / 127 mm 40,0 cal guns - 59,90lbs / 27,17kg shells, 100 per gun
Dual purpose guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1943 Model
2 x 2-gun mounts on centreline, aft deck aft
1 raised mount aft - superfiring
2 x 2-gun mounts on centreline, forward deck forward
1 raised mount - superfiring
Weight of broadside 479 lbs / 217 kg
Main Torpedoes
8 - 21,0" / 533 mm, 30,00 ft / 9,14 m torpedoes - 1,986 t each, 15,891 t total
In 2 sets of deck mounted centre rotating tubes
Main DC/AS Mortars
50 - 250,00 lbs / 113,40 kg Depth Charges + 2 reloads - 5,804 t total
in Stern depth charge racks
Armour:
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 1,00" / 25 mm 1,00" / 25 mm 1,00" / 25 mm
- Protected deck - single deck:
For and Aft decks: 0,75" / 19 mm
Forecastle: 0,75" / 19 mm Quarter deck: 0,75" / 19 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 69 243 shp / 51 655 Kw = 35,50 kts
Range 4 800nm at 15,00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 465 tons
Complement:
191 - 249
Cost:
£2,197 million / $8,787 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 171 tons, 6,1%
- Guns: 132 tons, 4,7%
- Weapons: 39 tons, 1,4%
Armour: 202 tons, 7,3%
- Armament: 57 tons, 2,1%
- Armour Deck: 145 tons, 5,2%
Machinery: 1 496 tons, 53,7%
Hull, fittings & equipment: 575 tons, 20,6%
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 341 tons, 12,2%
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0,0%
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
440 lbs / 200 Kg = 7,0 x 5,0 " / 127 mm shells or 0,2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,00
Metacentric height 1,3 ft / 0,4 m
Roll period: 15,0 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 57 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,52
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 0,62
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has raised forecastle,
a normal bow and a cruiser stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0,458 / 0,467
Length to Beam Ratio: 10,04 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 20,09 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 69 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 92
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10,00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0,00 ft / 0,00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 40,00%, 18,64 ft / 5,68 m, 18,64 ft / 5,68 m
- Forward deck: 20,00%, 11,15 ft / 3,40 m, 11,15 ft / 3,40 m
- Aft deck: 25,00%, 11,15 ft / 3,40 m, 11,15 ft / 3,40 m
- Quarter deck: 15,00%, 11,15 ft / 3,40 m, 11,15 ft / 3,40 m
- Average freeboard: 14,15 ft / 4,31 m
Ship tends to be wet forward
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 186,4%
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 88,0%
Waterplane Area: 10 414 Square feet or 967 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 67%
Structure weight / hull surface area: 38 lbs/sq ft or 185 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0,48
- Longitudinal: 0,84
- Overall: 0,50
The Willamina class destroyers were designed as an improved version of the Shannon class. This class was under development whilst Shannon class destroyers were still being built to replace losses suffered after the Japanese surprise attack in 1940. Construction had begun in late 1940 and all ships were finished and launched weeks before the country had fallen to Japanese forces
These destroyers had slightly less artillery firepower than the Shannon class, but an improved AA armament, and more armor protection. They were notably faster and had good sea keeping ability.
Ships in class - Launch date - Fate
Willamina - 1941 - Sold to Chinese navy 1952
Jasmine - 1941 - Sold to Chinese navy 1952
Kinley - 1941 - Sunk by surface fire 1945
Brooks - 1941 - Sold to Chinese navy 1952
Isabella - 1941 - Scrapped 1954
Felix - 1941 - Sunk by submarine 1945