Allied Warships


Destroyers

L class

8 ships


The L class destroyer HMS Lookout.

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 qith twin 4" AA gun mountings due to supply problems with the twin 4.7" gun mountings. 


All ships of the L class:

Royal Navy (more on Royal Navy)

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

Flotilla leader

Royal Navy (more on Royal Navy)

HMS Laforey (G 99) (lost 30 Mar 1944)

6 destroyers of the L class lost.


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
Afridi to Nizam – British Fleet Destroyers 1937 – 43, English, John, 2003
Blood on the Sea, Parkin, Robert Sinclair, 1996
A Blue Water Navy, WAB Douglas, R. Sarty, M. Whitby et al., 2007
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
Capturing Enigma, Harper, Stephen, 2000 (transl.)
Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, Chesneau, Roger, 1988
The Court-Martial of Ensign Mason, Nash, Edgar M., 2001
DD 522 : Diary of a destroyer, Surels, Ron, 1996
Deadly Seas, Bercuson, David Jay and Herwig, Holger H., 1997 (transl.)
Destroyer, Brookes, Ewart, 1973
Destroyer Captain, Hill, Roger, 1986



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