View source for HMS Whaddon (L45)

{{short description|Destroyer of the Royal Navy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Whaddon.jpg
|Ship caption=''Whaddon'', 19 June 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name= HMS ''Whaddon''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=11 April 1939
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Alexander Stephen & Sons]], [[Linthouse]], [[Govan]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=Admiralty Job No.1472
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=27 July 1939
|Ship launched=16 July 1940
|Ship completed= 
|Ship commissioned=28 February 1941
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service= 
|Ship renamed=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: L45
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=*North Sea 1941-43
*[[Allied invasion of Sicily|Sicily 1943]]
*[[Allied invasion of Italy|Salerno 1943]]
*[[Mediterranean theatre of World War II|Mediterranean 1943]]
*[[Operation Dragoon|South France 1944]]
*Aegean 1944
*Adriatic 1944
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Scrapped in April 1959
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Hunt-class destroyer|Type I Hunt-class]] [[destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1000|LT|t|0}} standard
*{{convert|1340|LT|t|0}} full load
|Ship length= {{convert|85|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam= {{convert|8.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship height= 
|Ship draught= {{convert|3.27|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
*2 shaft [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbines|Parsons]] [[steam turbine|geared turbines]], 19,000 shp
|Ship speed=*{{convert|27.5|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}
*{{convert|26|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} full
|Ship range=*{{convert|3500|nmi|km|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|15|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}
*{{convert|1000|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|26|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}
|Ship endurance=
|Ship boats=
|Ship complement=146
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*4 × [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|QF 4 in Mark XVI]] on twin mounts Mk. XIX
*4 × [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|QF 2 pdr Mk. VIII]] on quad mount MK.VII
*2 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikons]] on single mounts P Mk. III
*40 [[depth charge]]s, 2 throwers, 1 rack
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Whaddon'' (L45)''' was a [[Hunt-class destroyer|Type I Hunt-class]] [[destroyer]] of the [[Royal Navy]] built by [[Alexander Stephen & Sons]] of [[Linthouse]], [[Govan]] and launched on 16 July 1940. She was laid down on 27 July 1939 and commissioned 28 February 1941. She was adopted by the civil community of [[Newport Pagnell]] in Buckinghamshire, as part of the [[Warship Week]] campaign in 1942.


==Design==
The Hunt-class was meant to fill the Royal Navy's need for a large number of small destroyer-type vessels capable of both convoy escort and operations with the fleet, and were designed with a heavy anti-aircraft armament of six 4-inch anti-aircraft guns and a speed of {{convert|29|kn|mph km/h}}.{{sfn|English|1987|pp=7–9}}{{sfn|Friedman|2008|pp=71–72}}  An error during design, which was only discovered once the first ship of the class {{HMS|Atherstone|L05|2}} was built, meant that the ships as designed were dangerously unstable. To restore stability, the first 23 Hunts, including ''Whaddon'', were modified during construction by removing a twin 4-inch mount, cutting down the ships' superstructure and adding ballast. These ships were known as Type I Hunts.{{sfn|English|1987|pp=10–11}}{{sfn|Friedman|2008|pp=75–77}} Later ships in the class had their beam increased, which allowed them to carry the originally intended armament, and were known as Type II Hunts.{{sfn|English|1987|pp=11–12}}

The type I Hunts were {{convert|264|ft|3|in|m}} long  [[length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]] and {{convert|280|ft|m|2}} [[length overall|overall]].  The ship's [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{convert|29|ft|0|in|m}} and [[Draught (hull)|draught]] {{convert|7|ft|9|in|m}}. Displacement was {{convert|1000|LT|t|lk=on}} [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]] and  {{convert|1360|LT|t}} under full load. Two [[Three-drum boiler#Admiralty boiler|Admiralty boilers]] raising steam at {{convert|300|psi}} and {{convert|620|F}} fed [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] single-reduction geared [[steam turbines]] that drove two propeller shafts, generating {{convert|19000|shp}} at 380 rpm. This gave a speed of {{convert|27.5|kn}}.{{sfn|Lenton|1970|p=87}}

The ship's main gun armament was four [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI]] dual purpose (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) guns in two twin mounts, with one mount forward and one aft. Additional close-in anti-aircraft armament was provided by a quadruple [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2-pounder "pom-pom"]] mount.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chesneau|1980|p=47}}{{sfn|Lenton|1970|p=87}} Type I Hunts were later modified by adding two single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]] on the bridge wings.{{sfn|Lenton|1970|p=85}} Up to 40 [[depth charge]]s could be carried.{{sfn|Lenton|1970|p=87}}{{sfn|Friedman|2008| p=319}} The ship had a complement of 146 officers and men.{{sfn|Lenton|1970|p=87}}

==Construction==
''Whaddon'' was ordered on 11 April 1939, as part of the second batch of ten Hunts authorised under the 1939 Royal Navy construction programme. The ship was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at [[Alexander Stephen and Sons]]' [[Linthouse]], [[Govan]] shipyard on 27 July 1939,{{sfn|English|1987|p=16}} with the [[yard number]] 572.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whaddon |work=Scottish Built Ships: The History of Shipbuilding in Scotland |publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust  |url=https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=17303&vessel=WHADDON |access-date=8 January 2025}}</ref> The destroyer was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 16 July 1940 and completed on 28 February 1941.{{sfn|English|1987|p=16}} ''Whaddon'', named for the [[Fox hunt]] based at the [[Buckinghamshire]] village of the [[Whaddon, Buckinghamshire|same name]],{{sfn|Manning|Walker|1959|p=485}} was the first ship of that name to serve with the Royal Navy.{{sfn|Colledge|Warlow|2006|p=385}} She was allocated the [[pennant number]] L45.{{sfn|English|1987|p=106}}

==Service history==
Following commissioning, ''Whaddon'' joined the Rosyth Escort Force, where she was employed as a convoy escort in the [[North Sea]], continuing with these operations for the rest of 1941 and throughout 1942.{{sfn|English|1987|p=101}} On 8 May 1941, ''Whaddon'' was alongside at [[Kingston upon Hull]] when she was near missed by a bomb during a German air raid, sustaining minor splinter damage.{{sfn|English|1987|p=101}}{{sfn|''H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action''|1952|p=164}}

''Whaddon'' was then allocated to the Mediterranean Fleet in March 1943, joining the 60th Destroyer Flotilla where she undertook escort and patrol duties.{{sfn|English|1987|p=102}} In June 1943, ''Whaddon'' took part in [[Operation Corkscrew]], the bombardment and invasion of the Italian island of [[Pantelleria]]. On 8 June, she took part in a bombardment of the island by a strong British naval force consisting of the cruisers {{HMS|Aurora|12|2}}, {{HMS|Euryalus|42|2}}, {{HMS|Newfoundland|59|2}}, {{HMS|Orion|85|2}} and {{HMS|Penelope|97|2}} and the destroyers {{HMS|Jervis||2}}, {{HMS|Laforey|G99|2}}, {{HMS|Loyal|G15|2}}, {{HMS|Nubian|F36|2}}, {{HMS|Tartar|F43|2}}, {{HMS|Troubridge|R00|2}} and ''Whaddon'', and on the night of 10/11 June accompanied the invasion force to the island, which surrendered without a fight on 11 June.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|1992|p=214}} ''Whaddon'' took part in [[Operation Husky]], the Allied invasion of [[Sicily]], escorting an assault convoy that took part in the landings on 10 July,{{sfn|Winser|2002|p=94}} and in September 1943, took part in [[Operation Avalanche]], the allied landings at [[Salerno]].{{sfn|English|1987|p=102}}

In August 1944, ''Whaddon'' took part in [[Operation Dragoon]], the invasion of the South of France, escorting a follow-up convoy from [[Naples]] that arrived at the beachhead on 15 August.{{sfn|Winser|2002|p=119}} In September 1944, Germany started to pull its forces out of [[Crete]] and German-occupied Islands in the [[Aegean Sea]], while the British deployed a force of Escort Carriers and destroyers to disrupt the German evacuations. On the night of 21/22 September, ''Whaddon'' and {{HMS|Belvoir|L32|2}} were patrolling the [[Strait of Otranto]] when they encountered three German torpedo boats {{ship|German torpedo boat|TA37||2}}, ''TA38'' and ''TA39'', which were being sent from the [[Adriatic Sea]] to the Aegean to replace German losses. ''Whaddon'' and ''Belvoir'' opened fire, but the faster German torpedo boats managed to escape the British destroyers without damage.{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|1992|p=303}}{{sfn|O'Hara|2011|loc=Encounter in the Strait of Otranto, 22 September 1944}} ''Whaddon'' was refitted at [[Alexandria]] in January–February 1945, and was then deployed in operations in the Adriatic until the end of the war in Europe.{{sfn|English|1987|p=102}}
  
On 29 September 1945 ''Whaddon'' sailed from Gibraltar to [[HMNB Devonport|Devonport]] and was placed in reserve.{{sfn|Critchley|1982|p=29}} The ship was towed from Devonport to [[Cardiff]] in 1954 and reduced to Extended Reserve (i.e. she was destored, partially de-equipped and not maintained).{{sfn|English|1987|pp=6, 102}} She was scrapped at [[Faslane]] from April 1959.{{sfn|Colledge|Warlow|2006|p=385}} She has since had a British [[Sea Cadets (United Kingdom)|Sea Cadet Corps]] unit named after it, T.S Whaddon, located in [[Milton Keynes]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book |last=Critchley |first=Mike |title=British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers |year=1982 |location=Liskeard, UK |publisher=Maritime Books |isbn=0-9506323-9-2}}
* {{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=The Hunts: 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 II|year=1987|publisher=World Ship Society|isbn=0-905617-44-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman|title=British Destroyers and Frigates: The Second World War and After |year=2008 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-84832-015-4}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Gardiner |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Chesneau |editor-first2=Roger |title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |year=1980 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
* {{cite book |title=H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action: 3rd. SEPT. 1939 to 2nd. SEPT. 1945 |year=1952 |publisher=Admiralty |url=https://seapower.navy.gov.au/media-room/publications/hm-ships-enemy-action-wwii |ref={{harvid|''H.M. Ships Damaged or Sunk by Enemy Action''|1952}} |access-date=8 January 2025  }}
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H.T.|title=Navies of the Second World War: British Fleet & Escort Destroyers Volume Two|year=1970|publisher=Macdonald & Co.|location=London|isbn=0-356-03122-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Manning |first1=T. D. |last2=Walker |first2=C. F. |title=British Warship Names |year=1959 |location=London |publisher=Putnam}}
* {{cite book |last=O'Hara |first=Vincent P. |title=The German Fleet at War, 1939–1945 |year=2011 |location=Annapolis, Maryland, USA |publisher=Naval Institute Press |edition=eBook |isbn=978-1-61251-397-3}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rohwer|first1=Jürgen|last2=Hümmelchen|first2=Gerhard|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945|year=1992|publisher=Greenhill Books|location=London|isbn=1-85367-117-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Winser |first=John de S. |title=British Invasion Fleets: The Mediterranean and beyond 1942–1945 |year=2002 |location=Gravesend, UK |publisher=World Ship Society |isbn=0-9543310-0-1}}

==External links==
* [http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DE-Whaddon.htm Profile on naval-history.net]

{{Hunt class destroyer|type1}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whaddon (L45)}}
[[Category:Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom]]