Foresight in 1942
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name: | HMS Foresight |
Ordered: | 17 March 1933 |
Builder: | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
Cost: | £245,428 |
Laid down: | 31 July 1933 |
Launched: | 29 June 1934 |
Completed: | 15 May 1935 |
Identification: | Pennant number: H68 |
Fate: | Sunk, 13 August 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | F-class destroyer |
Displacement: | |
Length: | 329 ft (100.3 m) o/a |
Beam: | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
Draught: | 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) (deep) |
Installed power: |
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Propulsion: | 2 × shafts; 2 × Parsons geared steam turbines |
Speed: | 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph) |
Range: | 6,350 nmi (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement: | 145 |
Sensors and processing systems: |
ASDIC |
Armament: |
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HMS Foresight was one of nine F-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. She was assigned to the Home Fleet upon completion. Unlike her sister ships, she does not appear to have been attached to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1935–36 during the Abyssinia Crisis, nor did she enforce the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of the conflict the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. The ship escorted the larger ships of the fleet during the early stages of World War II and played a minor role in the Norwegian Campaign of 1940. Foresight was sent to Gibraltar in mid-1940 and formed part of Force H where she participated in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir and the Battle of Dakar. The ship escorted numerous convoys to Malta in 1941 and Arctic convoys during 1942. Later that year, Foresight participated in Operation Pedestal, another convoy to Malta. She was torpedoed by an Italian aircraft on 12 August and had to be scuttled the next day.
The F-class ships were repeats of the preceding E-class destroyers. They displaced 1,405 long tons (1,428 t) at standard load and 1,940 long tons (1,970 t) at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 329 feet (100.3 m), a beam of 33 feet 3 inches (10.1 m) and a draught of 12 feet 6 inches (3.8 m). They were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by three Admiralty three-drum boilers. The turbines developed a total of 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph). Foresight carried a maximum of 470 long tons (480 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 6,350 nautical miles (11,760 km; 7,310 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.