Allied Warships

Destroyers

L class

8 ships


The destroyer HMS Legion (G 74) of the Royal Navy. She was lost on 26 Mar 1942.

Technical information

TypeDestroyer
Displacement1920 (Laforey 1935) BRT 
Length345 feet 
Complement221 men 
Armament

Laforey, Lightning, Lookout and Loyal
6-4.7inch (3x2)
1-4inch (AA)
4-2pdr (AA)(1x4)
8-0.5inch (AA) (2x4)
4-21inch (TT) (1x4)

Gurkha, Lance, Legion and Lively
8-4inch (AA)(4x2)
4-2pdr (AA)(1x4)
8-0.5inch (AA) (2x4)
8-21inch (TT) (2x4)

 
Max speed36 knots
EnginesTwo Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2-shaft Parsons geared turbines 
Power48.000 HP 
Notes on class

Modified J-class design. The main armament was housed in weather-proof mountings. Half the class were however fitted with twin 4" AA gun mountings due to supply problems with the twin 4.7" gun mountings.

 


All ships of the L class


Royal Navy Royal Navy (more on Royal Navy)

HMS Gurkha (ii) (G 63) Lost on 17 Jan 1942
HMS Lance (G 87) Lost on 9 Apr 1942
HMS Legion (G 74) Lost on 26 Mar 1942
HMS Lightning (G 55) Lost on 12 Mar 1943
HMS Lively (G 40) Lost on 11 May 1942
HMS Lookout (G 32)
HMS Loyal (G 15)

Flotilla leader


Royal Navy Royal Navy (more on Royal Navy)

HMS Laforey (G 99) Lost on 30 Mar 1944


8 Destroyers of the L class. 6 of them were lost.

See all Destroyer classes.


L class ships hit by U-boats (2)

17 Jan 1942HMS Gurkha (ii)SunkU-133
30 Mar 1944HMS LaforeySunkU-223


The last stand of the tin can sailors

Hornfischer, James D.

Books dealing with this subject include:

200,000 Miles Aboard the Destroyer Cotten, Robinson, C. Snelling, 1999
A Home on the Rolling Main, A G F Ditcham, 2013
Afridi to Nizam – British Fleet Destroyers 1937 – 43, English, John, 2003
All the Gallant Men, Donald Stratton, 2016
Arctic Convoy PQ8, Michael Wadsworth, 2010
The Battle of Tassafaronga, Russell Syndnor Crenshaw, 2010
Battlestations, Veronico, Nicholas A., 2001
Blood on the Sea, Parkin, Robert Sinclair, 1996
A Blue Water Navy, WAB Douglas, R. Sarty, M. Whitby et al., 2007
British destroyers & frigates, Norman Friedman, 2006
British Destroyers 1892 to 1953, March, Edgar J, 2003
British Destroyers in World War Two, Burt, R.A., 1986
Cadillac of Destroyers, Barrie, Ron and Macpherson, Ken, 1996
Cape Hatteras, Lloyd, Keith Warren, 2008
The Captain Class Frigates in the Second World War, Collingwood, Donald, 1999



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