HMS Gravelines (D24)

HMS Gravelines was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was named after the Battle of Gravelines, which took place in 1588, resulting in the English Navy defeating the Spanish Armada. Gravelines was built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead. She was laid down on 10 August 1943, launched on 30 November 1944 and completed on 14 June 1946.[1]

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Gravelines
Laid down:	10 August 1943
Launched:	30 November 1944
Completed:	14 June 1946
Identification:	Pennant number D24
Fate:	Sold for scrap 1961
General characteristics
Class and type:	Battle-class destroyer
Displacement:	2,325 tons standard 3,430 tons full load
Length:	379 ft (116 m)
Beam:	40 ft (12 m)
Draught:	15.3 ft (4.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 steam turbines, 2 shafts, 2 boilers, 50,000 shp (37 MW)
Speed:	35.75 kn (66 km/h)
Range:	4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement:	268
Armament:	2 × dual 4.5-inch (114 mm) gun 1 × single 4-inch (102 mm) gun 14 × Bofors 40 mm gun 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 1 × Squid mortar

Service

Upon commissioning, Gravelines was placed in Reserve along with a number of her other sister-ships. In 1949, Gravelines joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, which joined the Mediterranean Fleet.[2] Gravelines exchanged crews with the destroyer St. Kitts on 10 March 1953 and returned to the UK where she was paid off into the Reserve Fleet.[3]

In 1955, Gravelines, with the rest of the 3rd Flotilla, returned once again to the Mediterranean, and was in the area during the Suez Crisis, which had occurred in response to the Egyptian President Nasser's nationalisation of the Suez Canal. That same year, Gravelines returned to a colder climate, when she, along with the rest of the Flotilla, joined the Home Fleet, based in the UK. In 1957, Gravelines began a refit, though it was cancelled the following year. Gravelines arrived for scrapping at Rosyth on 4 April 1961.[4]

References

1. Marriott, Leo (1989). Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 82. ISBN 0711018170.
2. Critchley, Mike (1982). British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. pp. 106–7. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2.
3. Marriott, Leo (1989). Royal Navy Destroyers Since 1945. Ian Allan Ltd. pp. 71–75.
4. Marriott, Leo (1989). Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 82. ISBN 0711018170.

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Hodges, Peter (1971). Battle Class Destroyers. London: Almark Publishing. ISBN 0-85524-012-1.