Editing HMS Hesperus (H57)

{{Short description|H-class destroyer}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Hesperus WWII IWM A 7101.jpg
|Ship caption=Profile view of ''Hesperus''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Brazil
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Brazil|1889}}
|Ship name=''Juruena''
|Ship ordered=6 December 1937
|Ship laid down=6 July 1938
|Ship launched=1 August 1939
|Ship builder=[[John I. Thornycroft & Company]]
|Ship fate=Purchased by the United Kingdom, 5 September 1939
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=*''Hearty'' (briefly)
*''Hesperus''
|Ship namesake=[[Hesperus]]
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=5 September 1939
|Ship commissioned=22 January 1940
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship renamed=''Hesperus'', 27 February 1940
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: H57<ref name=w2>Whitley, p. 112</ref>
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Scrapped]], 17 May 1947
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship class=[[G and H-class destroyer|Brazilian H-class]] [[destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1350|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement|standard]])
|Ship length={{convert|323|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|12|ft|5|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*3 [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
*{{cvt|34000|shp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|5530|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=152
|Ship sensors=[[ASDIC]]
|Ship armament=*3 × single [[4.7 inch QF Mark IX|4.7 in (120&nbsp;mm) guns]]
*2 × quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|.50 in (12.7 mm)]] machine guns
*2 × quadruple [[British 21 inch torpedo|21 in (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tubes]]
*3 × [[depth charge]] rails and 8 × throwers; 110 × depth charges 
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMS ''Hesperus''''' was an [[G and H-class destroyer|H-class]] [[destroyer]] that had originally been ordered by the [[Brazilian Navy]] with the name ''Juruena'' in the late 1930s, but was purchased by the [[Royal Navy]] after the beginning of [[World War II]] in September 1939, commissioned in 1940 as ''HMS Hearty'' and then quickly renamed as ''Hesperus''.

''Hesperus'' was damaged by German aircraft during the [[Norwegian Campaign]] in May 1940 and was assigned to convoy escort and [[anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine patrols]] after her repairs were completed. She was assigned to the [[Western Approaches Command]] for convoy escort duties in late 1940. She was briefly assigned to [[Force H]] in 1941, but her anti-aircraft armament was deemed too weak and she was transferred to the [[Newfoundland Escort Force]] the next month for escort duties in the North Atlantic. ''Hesperus'' was transferred to the [[Mid-Ocean Escort Force]] in late 1941 and continued to escort convoys in the [[North Atlantic]] for the next three years.

She was converted to an [[escort destroyer]] in early 1943 after suffering damage from one of her two [[ramming]] attacks that sank German [[submarine]]s. The ship sank two other submarines during the war by more conventional means. After the end of the war, ''Hesperus'' escorted the ships carrying the [[Nygaardsvold's Cabinet|Norwegian government in exile]] back to [[Norway]] and served as a [[target ship]] through mid-1946. She was [[ship breaking|scrapped]] beginning in mid-1947.

==Description==
The warship displaced {{convert|1350|LT|t}} at [[Displacement (ship)|standard]] load and {{convert|1883|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. The ship had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|323|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|33|ft|m|1}} and a [[draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|12|ft|5|in|m|1}}. She was powered by two [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, each driving one shaft using steam provided by three [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s. The turbines developed a total of {{convert|34000|shp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}. ''Hesperus'' carried a maximum of {{convert|470|LT|t}} of fuel oil, giving her a range of {{convert|5530|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|15|kn}}.<ref name=w78>Whitley, pp. 109, 112</ref> The ship's complement was 152 officers and ratings.<ref name=l3>Lenton, p. 163</ref>

The vessel was designed for four 45-[[caliber (artillery)|calibre]] [[4.7 inch QF Mark XII|4.7-inch Mk IX guns]] in single mounts, designated 'A', 'B', 'X', and 'Y' from front to rear, but 'Y' gun was removed to compensate for the additional depth charges added. For [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] (AA) defence, ''Hesperus'' had two quadruple Mark I mounts for the [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5&nbsp;inch Vickers Mark III]] [[machine gun]]. She was fitted with two above-water quadruple [[torpedo tube]] mounts for [[British 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}}]] torpedoes.<ref name=w78/> One [[depth charge]] rail and two throwers were originally fitted, but this was increased to three sets of rails and eight throwers while [[fitting-out]]. The ship's load of depth charges was increased from 20 to 110 as well.<ref>English, p. 141</ref><ref>Friedman, p. 226</ref>

''Hesperus'' was completed without a [[List of British ordnance terms#DCT|director-control tower]] (DCT) so the three remaining 4.7-inch low-angle guns fired in local control using ranges provided by a [[rangefinder]].<ref name=w2/> She was fitted with an [[ASDIC]] set to detect [[submarine]]s by reflections from sound waves beamed into the water.<ref>Brown, p. 164</ref>

===Wartime modifications===
''Hesperus'' had her rear torpedo tubes replaced by a [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|12-pounder ({{cvt|3|in|0}})]] AA gun while under repair in May–June 1940.<ref name=e0>English, p. 130</ref> The ship received a [[HF/DF]] [[radio direction finder]] mounted on a pole [[mainmast]]<ref name=l3/> and a [[Type 286 radar|Type 286]] short-range [[surface-search radar]] during her mid-1941 refit. While under repair at [[Immingham]], she received her DCT.<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.183"/> During her early 1942 refit at [[Falmouth, Cornwall]], the ship's short-range AA armament was augmented by two [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon {{cvt|20|mm|1}}]] guns on the wings of the ship's [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]]. In addition, her recently installed DCT and rangefinder above the bridge were replaced by a [[Type 271 radar|Type 271]] target indication radar.<ref name=e1/>

While under repair in early 1943, the ship was converted to an escort destroyer. 'A' gun was replaced by a [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] anti-submarine [[spigot mortar]] and the .50-calibre machine gun mounts were replaced by a pair of Oerlikons. Additional depth charge stowage replaced the 12-pounder AA gun and ''Hesperus'' received the one-ton Mk X depth charge and four Mk IV depth-charge throwers during the same refit. ''Hesperus'' was also fitted with the [[Foxer]] acoustic [[decoy]] to protect her against German acoustically guided torpedoes.<ref>Dickens, p. 177</ref>

==History==
She was originally ordered as ''Juruena'' on 16 December 1937 by the [[Brazilian Navy]]. The ship was [[Keel laying|laid down]] by [[John I. Thornycroft and Company]] at [[Woolston, Hampshire]] on 6 July 1938 and launched by Senhora Heitora Gallienz on 1 August 1939. The ship was purchased by the British on 5 September 1939 after the beginning of World War II.<ref>English, p. 127</ref> Renamed HMS ''Hearty'', the ship was commissioned on 22 January 1940 under command of former [[Fleet Air Arm]] pilot [[Commander (Royal Navy)|Commander]] [[Donald Macintyre (Royal Navy officer)|Donald Macintyre]].<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.180">Dickens, p. 180</ref> ''Hearty'' was renamed ''Hesperus'' on 27 February, after the [[Hesperos|Hesperus]] of mythology, to avoid confusion with the destroyer {{HMS|Hardy|H87|2}}.<ref>Dickens, p. 174</ref>

The six Brazilian H-class or ''Havant''-class destroyers initially formed the [[9th Destroyer Flotilla]] of the [[Home Fleet]] assigned to [[anti-submarine]] protection of [[Scapa Flow]].<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.180"/> Upon the German [[occupation of Denmark]], ''Hesperus'' and her [[sister ship|sister]] {{HMS|Havant|H32|2}} were assigned to cover the [[British occupation of the Faroe Islands]] in mid-April.<ref name=e0/> During the Norwegian Campaign, ''Hesperus'' transported elements of the [[History of the Scots Guards (1914–1945)#World War II|Scots Guards]] to [[Mo i Rana]] on 15 May<ref>Haar, p. 235</ref> and was damaged by near misses from [[Junkers Ju 87]] dive-bombers that same day. The ship was sent to [[Dundee]] for repairs that lasted a month.<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.180"/> Upon their completion, the ship was assigned to convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol duties.<ref name=e0/>

In November 1940<ref name=e0/> the 9th Destroyer Flotilla was transferred to the [[Western Approaches Command]] and re-designated the 9th Escort Group. On 4 November ''Hesperus'' rescued 367 survivors from the sinking of the [[Armed merchantman|armed merchant cruiser]] HMS {{SS|Laurentic|1927|2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/648.html |last=Helgason |first=Guðmundur |title=HMS Laurentic (F51) |access-date=31 October 2020}}</ref>

In a tropical storm in January 1941, the platform on which 'B' gun was mounted was lifted until the gun pressed against the bridge.<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.181">Dickens, p. 182</ref> After repairs, she resumed her convoy escort duties until April when she was assigned to [[Force H]] in [[Gibraltar]] whilst Macintyre transferred to the destroyer {{HMS|Walker|D27|2}} in March. ''Hesperus'' escorted ships during [[Malta Convoys#May 1941&nbsp;– Operations Tiger and Splice|Operations Tiger]] and [[Malta Convoys#June 1941 .E2.80.93 Operation Tracer|Tracer]] in May and June. ''Hesperus'' was transferred out of Force H as her anti-aircraft capability was believed by Admiral [[James Somerville]] to be too weak for operations in the Mediterranean. She received a brief refit in [[Liverpool]] and was transferred to the [[Newfoundland Escort Force]] on 7 July.<ref name=e0/>

In August 1941, ''Hesperus'' was one of the destroyers that escorted the [[battleship]] {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} carrying Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] to the [[Atlantic Charter]] meeting with President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] at [[Placentia Bay]]. The ship was structurally damaged by heavy weather and was temporarily repaired by a [[repair ship]] in Iceland and then was given permanent repairs at Immingham.<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.183">Dickens, p. 183</ref> Upon their completion ''Hesperus'' rejoined the 9th Escort Group<ref name=e0/> before she was attached to Force H in December for convoy duties at Gibraltar.<ref name="Dickens 1972 p.183"/>

Together with her sister {{HMS|Harvester|H19|2}}, ''Hesperus'' sank the {{GS|U-208|}} on 7 December 1941 in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar.<ref>Rohwer, p. 121</ref> On 15 January 1942, whilst defending Convoy HG 78, the ship's radar detected {{GS|U-93|1940|2}} on the surface and the [[captain (nautical)|captain]], Lieutenant Commander A. A. Tait, ordered ''Hesperus'' to [[ramming|ram]]. Although a glancing hit, the collision was so violent that it flung the U-boat's captain and first lieutenant from the submarine's [[conning tower]] into the [[motorboat]] stowed on the destroyer's deck. By dropping depth charges at their shallowest setting and hitting the submarine multiple times with 4.7-inch shells, the submarine's crew was persuaded to abandon ship. ''Hesperus'' rescued 40 of the submarine's crew, but was unable to board the submarine before it sank.<ref>Dickens, pp. 184, 186</ref> The impact flooded part of the forward hull, buckled her starboard hull plating and bent the tips of her starboard propeller. She received temporary repairs at Gibraltar and then was given permanent repairs in Falmouth between 9 February and April.<ref name=e1>English, p. 131</ref>
[[File:Destruction of U-boat by British Destroyers Hesperus and Vanessa. While Forming Part of a Homeward-bound Convoy Escort the Destroyers Rammed and Sank a German U-boat. the Enemy Was First Sighted and Rammed by H A13986.jpg|thumb|''Hesperus'' showing bow damage on her return to Liverpool 28 December 1942, after she rammed and sank a German U-boat]]
In March 1942, the remaining five ''Havant''-class destroyers were designated leaders of Escort Groups B-1 through B-5. Commander Tait was transferred to ''Harvester''; and Commander A.F.St.G. Orpen assumed command of ''Hesperus'' and [[B-2 Escort Group (Royal Navy)|B-2 Escort Group]] when ''Hesperus'' completed repairs in April. Commander Macintyre returned to the ship when Orpen was promoted to captain in June. Whilst escorting Convoy HX 219 near [[Rockall]] on 26 December, ''Hesperus'' and the destroyer {{HMS|Vanessa|D29|2}} sank the {{GS|U-357}} by ramming. This time, the ship's bottom was ripped open for nearly a quarter of her length and she needed three months of repairs in Liverpool.<ref>Dickens, pp. 187, 189</ref>

The ship rejoined her group on 17 March and sank {{GS|U-191||2}} with her Hedgehog on 23 April 1943 whilst escorting Convoy ONS 4. Almost three weeks later, she sank {{GS|U-186||2}} whilst defending convoy SC 129 on 12 May 1943. ''Hesperus'' remained on convoy escort duties until she was refitted between January and 29 March 1944.<ref name=e1/> Commander G.V. Legassick assumed command of ''Hesperus'' in March 1944<ref name=h2>Dickens, p. 192</ref> and the group escorted convoys between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom.<ref>Rohwer, p. 329</ref> In July 1944 the ship conveyed the body of Captain [[Frederic John Walker]] for a sea-burial.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

Later in 1944 she was transferred to the 19th Escort Group. In January 1945, Commander R.A. Currie assumed command of ''Hesperus'' as commander of the 14th Escort Group,<ref name=h2/> based in [[Plymouth]]. On 30 April 1945, the ship, together with her sister {{HMS|Havelock|H88|2}}, attacked the wreck of {{GS|U-246||2}} northwest of the island of [[Anglesey]] thinking that it was {{GS|U-242||2}} which had been spotted by a [[Short Sunderland]] flying boat earlier that day.<ref name=h2/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uboat.net/boats/u242.htm|title=U-242|publisher=Uboat.net|access-date=12 December 2011}}</ref>

Two weeks later, ''Hesperus'' and the 14th Escort Group escorted a group of surrendered German U-boats from [[Loch Alsh]] to [[Lough Foyle]]. On 27 May, the ship and her sister ''Havelock'' escorted the exiled Norwegian government back to [[Oslo]] and remained there until 1 June. Ten days later, she began service as an aircraft target, a role that lasted for the next year. ''Hesperus'' was approved for scrapping on 18 February 1946 and was placed in Category C [[Reserve Fleet (United Kingdom)|reserve]] in May. She was towed to [[Grangemouth]] for scrapping, but that did not begin until 17 May 1947.<ref name=e1/> ''Hesperus''{{'}}s ensign was preserved in Yeovil Parish Church.<ref>Dickens, p. 194</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
{{Commons category|HMS Hesperus (H57)}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book|last=Brown|first=David K.|title=Atlantic Escorts: Ships, Weapons & Tactics in World War II|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|date=2007|isbn=978-1-59114-012-2}}
* {{cite book| title=HMS ''Hesperus'' |last=Dickens|first=Peter|location=Windsor, UK |publisher=Profile Publications |year=1972|oclc=33077697}}
* {{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s|year=1993|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Kendal, UK|isbn=0-905617-64-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|date=2009|isbn=978-1-59114-081-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Haarr|first=Geirr H.|title=The Battle for Norway: April – June 1940|year=2010|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-051-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998 |isbn=1-55750-048-7 |author-link=Henry Trevor Lenton}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005 |edition=Third Revised |isbn=1-59114-119-2|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
*{{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia |year=2000| publisher=Cassell & Co.|location=London|isbn=1-85409-521-8|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

{{G and H class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hesperus (H57)}}
[[Category:Jurua-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Southampton]]
[[Category:1939 ships]]
[[Category:G and H-class destroyers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company]]