HMS Lightning (G55)
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Lightning |
| Ordered: | 31 March 1938 |
| Builder: | Hawthorn Leslie & Co., Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Laid down: | 15 November 1938 |
| Launched: | 22 April 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 28 May 1941 |
| Identification: | pennant number: G55 |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Sunk by German torpedo boats off Annaba on 12 March 1943 |
| Badge: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | L-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,920 tons |
| Length: | 362.5 ft (110.5 m) |
| Beam: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Draught: | 12.5 ft (3.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 geared turbines |
| Speed: | 33.8 kn (62.6 km/h; 38.9 mph) at 341.4 rpm |
| Range: | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) |
| Armament: |
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HMS Lightning was an L-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 22 April 1940 and sunk on 12 March 1943 by German Motor Torpedo Boat S-55.
Ordered under the 1937 Programme and laid down as Job No J4502, Hawthorn Leslie & Co of Newcastle Upon Tyne were awarded the contract to build her with machinery supplied by Parsons. She would be the 10th Royal Navy ship to bear the name Lightning. Build was completed on 28 May 1941 but had been delayed by late delivery of the three twin 4.7-inch mountings required meeting the original design. The tender cost was £440,807 which excluded items such as weapons and communications equipment supplied by the Admiralty.
On 25 March 1942, Lightning was adopted by the Borough of Doncaster as part of a Warship Week National Savings plan. Doncaster and the surrounding boroughs raised over £800,000 in National Savings and effectively paid for the ship. At the same time T/S Lightning was formed in Doncaster for Sea Cadets, that continues to this day.
On Wednesday 28 May Lightning was assigned to the 19th Destroyer Flotilla with the Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. She was joined by her sister ship Laforey. Her other two sister ships Lookout and Loyal were not ready for combat. She was however joined by four half-sister ships Lively, Gurkha, Legion and Lance. All four would later be lost during their first year of operational service.
Operation Substance was the first real operation Lightning was part of. She formed part of the Home Fleet escort for convoys WS 9C and MG 1 to the island of Malta. The convoy comprised ships Azalea, Eridge, Nelson, Renown, Ark Royal, Hermione, Arethusa, Manxman, Cossack, Maori, Nestor, Faulknor, Fury, Foresight, Forester, Foxhound, Encounter, Sikh and Duncan. The convoy left Derry on 13 July, and arrived at Gibraltar two weeks later on 27 July.
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Wikipedia