HMS Southwold.

[Batstiger]

I came across a picture of HMS Southwold yesterday and wondered if anyone knew of any history about her.
Unfortunately she didn't last too long. Southwold was a type 11 Hunt class destroyer launched 29-5-41 and built by Whites. She was sunk at Malta by mines Sunday 24th March 1942.

Bob.

[The Sailor]

I was looking at the pic you put up Bob. Unusual large armoured box around the front of the bridge. What does anyone know about that?

I see she is a gazetted wreck dive site off Malta in just 80 metres of water.
One would wonder about just how much interference goes on with these war graves?

[stontamar]

HMS SOUTHWOLD complete trails and work up and the joined convoy WS.12Z (Clyde to Freetown) as one of the escorts from 16-24 November 1941. The convoy included a variety of vessels including troopships and the battleship HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN.

She then continued from 28 November–14 December 1941 to escort HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN from Freetown to Durban, calling in at Mombasa on 29 January 1942 before arriving at Alexandria in early January 1942 where she joined the 5th Destroyer Flotilla.
.
From 10-13 January 1942 she escort the ST MONACE which was towing the TONELINE from Tobruk to Alexandria under the convoy designation TA.10/M

Escort to convoy MW9B (Malta Westward, Alexandria to Malta) 12-16 February 1942.

Escort to convoy MW.10, which left Alexandria on 20 March 1942, for passage to Malta. The convoy included the Breconshire, under the command of Capt C.A.G. Hutchinson (Convoy Commodore), CLAN CAMPBELL, PAMPAS and TALABOT to Malta during which she was involved in the 2nd Battle of Sirte on 22 March 1942. HMS SOUTHWOLD commanding officer during this action was Cdr. C.T. Jellicoe RN.

HMS SOUTHWOLD was mined under the engine room on 24 March 42 off Malta whilst attempting to pass a tow line to the disabled merchant ship BRECONSHIRE which had been bombed and drifted into a minefield. The tug ANCIENT attempt to tow HMS SOUTHWOLD but the ship’s side plating split and after transferring the wounded to HMS DULVERTON the tow was continued until the ship finally settled and sank. Five members of the crew were lost in this incident.

I am not sure about the relevance of the comment about the ‘unsual large armoured box around the front of the bridge’. There were a number of variations to the layout of these vessels, both between the four different types and also with type, and the only comment I would make is that at the time the photograph was taken she was not fitted with the spray deflectors fitted to many of her sisters. Otherwise she appears to be a typical Type II Hunt Class Escort Destroyer. It is however a good quality picture which presumably was taken during her trials and before she joined convoy WS.12Z and departed from the UK for the last time.

A Happy New Year to all.

stontamar

[The Sailor]

Well I did a bit of looking into it myself and found that it seemed the Hunts posed a major design challenge, and they would be too short and narrow and of insufficient range for open ocean work, resulting in their use in the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
The demanding specifications in an overworked Admiralty design department resulted in a major design miscalculation leaving the Hunt class top heavy and dangerously deficient in stability. By the time this was realised, 20 ships were so far advanced in construction that the only solution was to strike 'X' 4 inch mount and add permanent ballast. These ships became the Type I group, and had the multiple 2 pounder gun relocated from behind the funnel to the more advantageous 'X' position.

The design deficiency of the Type I was rectified by splitting the hulls lengthwise and adding a 2½ foot section, increasing the beam and the margin of stability sufficiently for the designed armament to be shipped. These ships became the Type II group, and also had a revised design of bridge with the compass platform extending forwards to the wheelhouse face. 36 ships were completed to this design. Depth charge stowage could also be increased from 40 in the Type I to 110.

And Happy New Year to you Stontamar.
Graeme

[Batstiger]

Thank you both for your input.
There were four types of Hunt class destroyer and they all played a valuable part as escorts throughout the war. Many of them were about in the 50's when I was a young sprog in the navy. I have line drawings here of three of the types but couldn't find one for the type 1.

Type 1. Hambledon.
Type 2.
Type 3.
Type 1V.

"A happy New Year" to you all, keep posting!

Bob.

[stontamar]

Hi thanks for your reply.

The design changes that were made to Type I to III Hunt's are quite complicated to try an explain in a short article however you are corrrect in stating that twenty ships, which became the Type I 's, were altered by landing a twin 4" mouting, thus leaving them with two of these mountings, their superstructure, incuding the bridge and funnel and masts, was cut down and they had additional ballast added to reduce their centre of gravity.

The modifications that were made to the 20 Type I Hunt Class were also adopted for three Type II's (BLENCATHRA, BROCKLESBY and LIDDESDALE). Although these vessels retained the narrower beam and armament fit of the Type I's they remained classed as Type II's. Therefore only 33, and not 36, vessels were completed to the full Type II specification.

The remaining 33 Type II's had their beam increase by 2.5 feet and they were armed with the three twin 4" mountings. Additionally their bridge was lowered and set further aft and the funnel was also lowered. as a reult of these changes no additional ballast had to be added and their seaworthiness was significantly improved. HMS SOUTHWOLD appears in the photograph to conform to the standard Type II configuration although, as I mentioned previously, individual ships within type could differ in detail.

The Type III's incorporated a change to a two twin 4" mounting layout with the addition of one twin set of 21" torpedo tubes. This change was made to fulfill a staff requirement for these vessel to undertake duties that had previously been conducted by the Fleet Destroyers. Built on the same dimensions as the Type II's they also carried additional ballast and later vessels in this group carried additional fuel at the expense of the stabalisers.

The two Type IV ships differed considerably from Types I-III and were in effect 'Thorneycroft specials' and I guess outside of the scope of this particular link.

You are also correct in stating that because of design deficiencies they worked mainly in the North Sea and Medeterannean however some, for example HMS SOUTHWOLD and DULVERTON made the voyage through the Atlantic to the Cape and then through the Indian Ocean to reach their theatre of operations in the Mediterannean and then took part in a major fleet action. Not bad for a design with such a shakey beginning.

Happy New Year

stontamar

[Batstiger]

This all makes good reading. there is a book named "The Hunt's" which is a history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and allied navies during World War 11.

I have been after it for a while now and only come across it once on ebay where I was outbid at the last moment.
Has anyone got one for sale?

Bob.

[rogersmithref]

My father in law was a Gunner on the Southwold and was on the ship when it was sunk by a british mine.

He is still alive and would be able to help you with further information. He also has some photos that I can get scanned for you.

National Geographic made a TV program in the series The Sea Hunters (Southwold: Malta’s Lifeline) and sent my father in law a complimentary copy of the program. It was recently shown on the TV in the UK.

Ther is also some dive film on this web site:- http://www.shipwreckfilms.co.uk/page19.html
Some more wreck pictures here: -
http://www.barra-scuba.com/wrecks/hms_southwold.htm
An account of the battle here: -
http://www.regiamarina.net/battles/sirte2/sirte2_us.htm
More information here
http://www.marinefoundation.org/wreckshmssouthwold.htm
Information for the filmmaker that made the Sea Hunters "Southwold: Malta’s Lifeline"
http://www.shipwreckcentral.com/teachMod14.htm

Since finding the film my father in law has talked to us about his time on the Southwold having never mentioned it before.

I hope this of help to you.
Roger Smith.

[Batstiger]

Thank you very much Roger for the information and the links. I and I'm sure others would welcome any scans that you could supply on behalf of your father in law and I am sure questions will be forthcoming.

Regards, Bob.

[Nicola Smith]

Hello

I was interested in your posts regarding HMS Southwold. My father Percy Smith was on the ship during the Malta Convoys and has recently started to discuss it. My dad was one of the ones that was sunk and presumed missing in March 1942 and wants me to find any info/videos/DVD's on the Southwold.

It would be lovely if you could assist in anyway.

Nicky

[RNfanDan]

On a rather singular technical point, some of the Hunts were fitted with fin stabilisers (Denny type), the first major RN warships to be so equipped, in order to supplement their lowgM (presumably on those of the first group that could not be widened).

I mention this for the benefit of modellers as well, as the stabilisers make for an interesting below-waterline feature.