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C-class destroyer (1943)
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==Design== They were built as part of the [[War Emergency Programme destroyers|War Emergency Programme]], based on the hull and machinery of the pre-war [[J, K and N-class destroyer|J class]], incorporating whatever advances in armament and naval radar were available at the time. Some of the class were completed in time for [[World War II|wartime]] service. All ships used the [[Fuze Keeping Clock]] High Angle Fire Control Computer.<ref>Destroyer Weapons of WW2, Hodges/Friedman, {{ISBN|0-85177-137-8}}</ref> The "Ca" flotilla were generally repeats of the preceding [[W and Z-class destroyer|Z class]], and as such had a main gun armament of four [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I β V naval gun|QF 4.5-inch (113-mm) Mk IV]] guns on Mk V mounts, which could elevate to 55 degrees to give an anti-aircraft capability. Close-in anti-aircraft armament generally consisted of two [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40mm Bofors]] guns in a twin stabilized Hazemayer mount, supplemented by four single [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2-pounder "pom-pom"]] anti aircraft guns on power operated mounts. ''Caprice'' differed in having a quadruple 2-pounder "pom-pom" instead of the Hazemayer Bofors mount, while ''Cassandra'' had eight [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]] instead of the single pom-poms. Torpedo armament consisted of eight [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} torpedoes]] in two quadruple mounts, while 70 depth charges could be carried.<ref name="Conways22 p43">Gardiner and Chesneau 1980, p. 43.</ref><ref name="Whitley p136"/> The succeeding "Ch", "Co" and "Cr" flotillas were fitted with the new Mk VI HA/LA Director instead of the Mk I Type K director of the Z and Ca classes, while remote power control (RPC) gunlaying equipment was fitted. The additional weight of the new fire control equipment and the powered mountings for the 4.5 inch guns{{#tag:ref|The new director weighed 10 t compared with 6 t for the Mk I Type K, while adding RPC to the 4.5 in mounts increased weight by 1.7 t per mount.<ref name="weapon p86,8">Hodges and Friedman 1979, pp. 86, 88.</ref>|group=lower-alpha}} meant that only one quadruple torpedo mount was fitted, and the depth charge armament was reduced to 35 depth charges.<ref name="Whitley p136,8">Whitley 2000, pp. 136, 138.</ref> Most of the ships were fitted with a single Hazemayer Bofors mount, although some of the later ships instead had the lighter and simpler Mk V twin Bofors mount. This was normally supplemented by two power operated single pom-pom mounts and two 20 mm Oerlikon cannon.<ref name="Whitley p128">Whitley p138.</ref><ref name="Conways22 p44">Gardiner and Chesneau 1980, p. 44.</ref> They also introduced the [[welding|all-welded]] hull into Royal Navy destroyer construction, beginning in ''Contest'', with the "Cr" flotilla all being of all-welded construction.<ref name="Whitley p128"/> Late delivery of the Mk VI directors delayed completion such that all but one of the "Ch"s, "Co"s or "Cr"s entered service after the end of the Second World War.<ref name="Lentonv2 p43">Lenton 1970, p. 43.</ref> Only ''Comet'' was commissioned before [[VJ Day]], in June 1945, albeit too late to see action. ''Caprice'' was the last destroyer built for the Royal Navy to be fitted with the ubiquitous quadruple [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2 pounder "pom-pom"]] mounting Mark VII. The "Ca" flotilla were reconstructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s to be modernised for anti-submarine warfare and to serve as fast fleet escorts. One bank of torpedo tubes and one 4.5 in gun was removed, allowing two [[Squid (weapon)|Squid]] triple-barreled anti-submarine mortars to be fitted, while the ships' obsolete gun Mk I Type K director was replaced by a modern Mk 6M director as fitted to Royal Navy frigates, and the remaining 4.5 in guns fitted with RPC. Close in anti-aircraft armament was standardised as a single Mk V twin and two single 40 mm Bofors mounts. The ships were also fitted with new [[Bridge (nautical)|bridges]]; the post-refit bridge differed between the first four conversions (''Cavendish'', ''Carron'', ''Cavalier'' and ''Carysfort''), with open bridges and the later four (''Caprice'', ''Cassandra'', ''Caesar'' and ''Cambrian'') which were given frigate-type enclosed bridges.<ref name="Conway47 p506">Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 506.</ref><ref name="weapon p85">Hodges and Friedman 1979, p. 85.</ref> The remaining "Ch", "Co" and Cr" ships in the Royal Navy were given a less extensive modernisation, with one 4.5 in gun being replaced by twin Squids, modified fire control and a close in anti aircraft armament of 1 twin and four single Bofors guns. ''Chieftain'', ''Chaplet'' and ''Comet'' were fitted as minelayers.<ref name="Conways47 p490">Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 490.</ref><ref name="weapon p92">Hodges and Friedman 1979, p. 92.</ref> ===Engineering=== The class were all fitted with two Admiralty 3-drum boilers with a pressure of {{convert|300|psi|}} at {{convert|630|F}}. All had Parsons single-reduction geared turbines, generating {{convert|40000|shp|kW}} at 350 RPM, and driving the two shafts to produce a maximum of {{convert|36|kn}} ({{convert|32|kn}} under full load condition).<ref name="Lentonv2 p39,45,49">Lenton 1970, pp. 39, 45, 49.</ref> All were engined by their builders except ''Cossack'' and ''Constance'', which were engined by Parsons.<ref name="Whitley p136-7"/> Their bunkers could hold 615 tons of oil fuel, giving them a radius of {{convert|4675|nmi}} at {{convert|20|kn}} and {{convert|1400|nmi}} at {{convert|32|kn}}.<ref name="Lentonv2 p39">Lenton 1970, p. 39.</ref>
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