HMS Ilex (D61)

History
United Kingdom
Name:	Ilex
Namesake:	Ilex
Builder:	John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland
Cost:	£255,072
Laid down:	10 March 1936
Launched:	28 January 1937
Commissioned:	7 July 1937
Identification:	Pennant number: D61
Fate:	Sold 1946, scrapped 1948
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type:	I-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,370 long tons (1,390 t) (standard) 1,888 long tons (1,918 t) (deep load)
Length:	323 ft (98.5 m)
Beam:	33 ft (10.1 m)
Draught:	12 ft 6 in (3.8 m)
Installed power:	34,000 shp (25,000 kW) 3 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion:	2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines
Speed:	35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph)
Range:	5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement:	145
Sensors and processing systems:	ASDIC
Armament:	4 × single QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mk IX guns 2 × quadruple 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) machine guns 2 × quintuple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 16 × depth charges, 1 rack and 2 throwers
Service record
Operations:	Battle of Calabria (1940) Battle of Cape Spada (1940) Battle of Taranto (1940) Battle of Cape Matapan (1941) Allied invasion of Sicily (1943) Salerno landings (1943)
Victories:	Sank U-42 (1939) Sank Italian submarine Console Generale Liuzzi (1940) Sank Italian submarine Argonauta (1940) Sank Italian submarine Uebi Scebeli (1940)

HMS Ilex was one of nine I-class destroyers destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. She is the only ship of the Royal Navy ever to have been named after Ilex, the genus of flowering plants commonly known as holly.

The I-class ships were improved versions of the preceding H-class. They displaced 1,370 long tons (1,390 t) at standard load and 1,888 long tons (1,918 t) at deep load. The ships had an overall length of 323 feet (98.5 m), a beam of 33 feet (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 34,000 shaft horsepower (25,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h; 40.9 mph). Ilex carried a maximum of 455 long tons (462 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 145 officers and ratings.

The ships mounted four 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX guns in single mounts. For anti-aircraft (AA) defence, they had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the 0.5 inch Vickers Mark III machine gun. The I class was fitted with two above-water quintuple torpedo tube mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes. One depth charge rack and two throwers were fitted; 16 depth charges were originally carried, but this increased to 35 shortly after the war began.

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