View source for J-, K- and N-class destroyer

{{Short description|Destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:HMS Javelin 1941 IWM FL 10524.jpg
|Ship caption=[[HMS Javelin (F61)|HMS ''Javelin'']] in 1941
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Builders=
|Operators=* {{navy|United Kingdom}}
* {{navy|Australia|1913}}
* {{navy|Poland}}
* {{navy|Netherlands}}
* {{navy|Indonesia}}
|Class before= {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer|4||1936}}
|Class after= {{sclass2|L and M|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses= J, K, N
|Built range=1937–1941
|In commission range=
|Total ships planned=25
|Total ships completed=24
|Total ships cancelled=1
|Total ships lost=13
|Total ships scrapped=11
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(J and K classes as built)
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1690|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|2330|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|356|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on|1}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam={{convert|35|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draught={{convert|12|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on|1}} (deep)
|Ship power=*2 × [[Admiralty 3-drum boiler]]s
*{{cvt|44000|shp|kW|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts; 2 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|5500|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=183 (218 for [[flotilla leader]]s)
|Ship sensors=[[ASDIC]]
|Ship armament=
*3 × twin [[QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII naval gun|4.7 in (120&nbsp;mm) guns]]
*1 × quadruple [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|2 pdr ({{cvt|40|mm}}]] [[AA gun]]s
*2 × quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5 in (12.7&nbsp;mm)]] [[anti-aircraft machinegun]]s
*2 × quintuple [[British 21-inch torpedo|21 in (533&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tubes]] 
*1 × rack, 2 × throwers for [[depth charge]]s 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(N class where different)
|Ship displacement=* {{convert|1773|LT|t}} (standard)
* {{convert|2384|LT|t}} (deep load)
|Ship armament=
*1 × single [[QF 4-inch naval gun Mk V|4 in (102&nbsp;mm)]] AA gun
*4 × single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{convert|20|mm|1|abbr=on}} Oerlikon]] AA guns
*2 × twin [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5 in]] [[anti-aircraft machinegun]]s
*1 × quintuple [[British 21-inch torpedo|21 in]] [[torpedo tubes]] 
* 1 × rack, 2 × throwers for depth charges
}}
|}

The '''J, K and N class''' consisted of 24 [[destroyer]]s built for the [[Royal Navy]] beginning in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier [[torpedo]] armament, after the {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer (1936)|4}} that emphasised guns over torpedoes. The ships were built in three [[flotilla]]s or groups, each consisting of eight ships with names beginning with "J", "K" and "N". The flag superior of the [[pennant number]]s changed from "F" to "G" in 1940.

The ships were modified throughout their wartime service, particularly their anti-aircraft (AA) guns; they were also fitted with [[radar]].

==Design history==
[[File:Church service HMS Javelin 1940 IWM A 549.jpg|thumb|left|{{center|Church service aboard HMS ''Javelin'', August 1940. Note the 4-inch QF Mk V anti-aircraft gun at upper left and the depth charges at bottom right}}]]

The design was intended as a smaller follow-on from the preceding Tribal class. In a departure from all previous Royal Navy destroyers, the design used a two boiler room layout. This reduced hull length and allowed for a single funnel, both reducing the profile and increasing the arcs of fire of the light [[anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft (AA) weapons]]. It also increased vulnerability, as there were now two adjacent large compartments with the resultant risk of a single well-placed hit flooding both and resulting in a total loss of boiler power.<ref>{{harvnb|March|1966|p=350}}</ref>

A three-boiler-room layout was used starting with the [[E and F-class destroyer|F class]] in the early 1930s. Early ships also tended to use twin boiler rooms, which are still a great improvement over a single boiler room. As destroyers are lightly armoured and fast vessels meant to survive by avoiding being hit at all, the odds of a hit striking just the right spot to disable both boiler rooms simultaneously were considered remote enough to be worth risking in exchange for the benefits given by a two-room layout. During pre-war trials "...On a light displacement ''Jackal'' attained {{cvt|37.492|kn}} on the Arran mile in 60 fathoms (360 feet) {{cvt|34.37|kn}} deep. ''Jupiter'' in 75 fathoms (450 feet) made {{cvt|33.835|kn}} light, {{cvt|33.045|kn}} deep displacement".<ref>{{harvnb|March|1966|p=350}}</ref>

A significant advancement in construction techniques was developed by naval architect Albert Percy Cole. Instead of going for transverse frame sections which were unnecessarily strong, but held together by weak longitudinals, Cole opted for extra strong longitudinals and weaker transverse frames.<ref>{{cite web |title=Destroyer Design – HMS Kelly |last=Mountbatten of Burma |date=December 1979 | author-link = Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma | url=http://www.navyhistory.org.au/destroyer-design-hms-kelly/1/ |publisher=Naval Historical Society of Australia |quote=originally printed in ''Naval Historical Review'', December 1979.}} Letter to the editor.</ref> Another advancement was changes to the bow design. The bow form was also modified from that of the preceding Tribal-class design; the [[clipper bow]] was replaced by a straight stem with increased sheer. This change was not a success and as a consequence, these ships were very wet forwards. This shortcoming was rectified from the [[S and T-class destroyer|S class]] onward by returning to the earlier form. Despite the vulnerability of the boiler layout, the design was to prove compact, strong and very successful, forming the basis of all Royal Navy destroyer construction from the [[O and P-class destroyer|O class]] up to the last of the {{sclass2|C|destroyer|4||1943}} of 1943–1945.

The armament was based on that of the Tribals, but replaced one twin [[QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII naval gun|QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark XII]] (L/45) gun mount with an additional bank of torpedo tubes. These mountings were capable of 40° elevation and 340° of training. Curiously, 'X' mounting was positioned such that the blind 20° arc was across the stern, rather than the more logical forward position where fire was obscured by the bridge and masts anyway. This meant that they were unable to fire dead astern. With the tubes now 'pentad', a heavy load of 10 [[British 21-inch torpedo#Mark IX|21-inch (533&nbsp;mm) Mark IX torpedoes]] could be carried. AA armament remained the same, consisting of a quadruple [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder ({{cvt|40|mm}} Mark VIII gun mount]] and a pair of quadruple [[Vickers .50_machine gun|0.5-inch (12.7&nbsp;mm) Vickers Mark III machine gun]] mounts. Armament was further improved by replacing the quadruple machine guns with [[20 mm Oerlikon]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Hodges|Friedman|1979|p=31}}</ref> These ships, when completed, had a comparatively heavy close range AA armament.<ref>{{harvnb|Hodges|Friedman|1979|pp=12, 14, 23, 24, 106, 110, 142}} Previous to the Tribal class, RN destroyers carried either two 2-pounder AA guns or twin quadruple 0.5 in Vickers machine guns.</ref> Fire control arrangements also differed from the Tribals, and the dedicated high-angle (H/A) [[Coincidence rangefinder|rangefinder]] director was not fitted, instead only a {{convert|12|ft|m|adj=on|abbr=on}} rangefinder was carried behind the nominally dual purpose [[List of British ordnance terms#DCT|Director Control Tower]] (DCT).<ref>{{harvnb|Langtree|2002|p=36}}</ref> The rangefinder was much modified to allow it to control the main armament for A/A fire, and was known as the "3 man modified rangefinder". These ships used the [[Fuze Keeping Clock]] HA Fire Control Computer.<ref>{{harvnb|Hodges|Friedman|1979|pp=29–30}}</ref>

The N class were ordered in 1940 as repeats of the J design, after delays and cost over-runs associated with the larger and more complicated {{sclass2|L and M|destroyer|4}}. The only design change was to locate the 'X' 4.7-inch mounting in the more logical position with the 20° training blind spot forward. While building, the same early wartime modifications as the Js and Ks were applied, with a pair of twin power-operated 0.5&nbsp;in machine gun turrets briefly carried on the [[quarterdeck]] before being replaced by single 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikons.

==Modifications==
In 1940 and 1941, to improve the anti-aircraft capabilities, all ships had their aft torpedo tubes removed and replaced with a single [[QF 4-inch naval gun Mk V|4 inch gun QF Mark V]] on a HA Mark III mounting. The relatively ineffective multiple 0.5-inch machine guns were replaced with a single 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon, with a further pair added abreast the searchlight platform amidships. The high-speed destroyer [[minesweeper|mine sweeps]] were replaced with a rack and two throwers for 45 depth charges and a [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 286|Type 286 Radar]] air warning was added at the masthead alongside [[Type 285 radar|Type 285]] fire control on the H/A rangefinder-director.

In 1942 the 4&nbsp;in gun was removed and the torpedoes returned to all surviving vessels. The 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikons were replaced with twin mountings (except those on the quarterdeck) and a [[Type 291 radar]] replaced the Type&nbsp;286. ''Jervis'', ''Kelvin'', ''Nerissa'' and ''Norman'' had the searchlight replaced with the "lantern" for centimetric target indication radar [[Type 271 radar|Type 271]]; ''Javelin'' and ''Kimberley'' having the lighter [[List of World War II British naval radar#Type 272|Type 272]] fitted at the truck of the foremast. ''Napier'', ''Nizam'' and ''Norseman'' (and later, ''Norman'') had American SG1 Radar fitted at the head of a new lattice foremast, ''Norman'' replacing her Type&nbsp;271 set with a single [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40&nbsp;mm Bofors]] gun. By the end of the war, the surviving J and K ships carried a lattice mast with a [[Type 293 radar|Type 293]] target indication radar at the [[Truck (rigging)|truck]] and a Type&nbsp;291 air warning at the [[Sail components#Edges|head]].

==Service==
Being amongst the Royal Navy's most modern and powerful destroyers at the outbreak of war, they were extensively committed. As a result, losses were heavy. Of 24 ships built 13 were lost (six J, six K and one N class), mostly in the Mediterranean in 1941–1942, although they did serve against the Japanese later in the war. France was expected to deal with most of the enemy threat in the Mediterranean, so the French capitulation resulted in heavy British losses in the Mediterranean as the British were unable to allocate many resources to the region. The remainder were scrapped after the war.

==Ships==

===J class===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | [[Laid down]]
! scope="col" | [[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Jervis|F00|2}} {{efn|name=ldr}}
| [[Hawthorn Leslie & Company]], [[Hebburn]]
| 26 August 1937
| 9 September 1938
| 12 May 1939
| Sold for scrap, 1949
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Jackal|F22|2}}
| [[John Brown & Company]], [[Clydebank]]
| 24 September 1937
| 25 October 1938
| 31 March 1939
| Bombed off [[Mersa Matruh]], 11 May 1942, and scuttled the following day
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Jaguar|F34|2}}
| [[William Denny & Brothers]], [[Dumbarton]]
| 25 November 1937
| 22 November 1938
| 12 September 1939
| Sunk by the {{GS|U-652||6}}, 26 March 1942
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Juno|F46|2}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Jamaica''}})
| [[Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company]], [[Govan]]
| 15 October 1937
| 8 December 1938
| 25 August 1939
| Sunk by aircraft, 21 May 1941
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Janus|F53|2}}
| [[Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson]], [[Wallsend]]
| 29 September 1937
| 11 October 1938
| 5 August 1939
| Sunk by German aircraft, 23 January 1944
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Javelin|F61|2}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Kashmir''}})
|[[John Brown & Company]], [[Clydebank]]
| 11 October 1937
| 21 December 1938
| 10 June 1939
| Sold for scrap, 1949
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Jersey|F72|2}}
| [[J. Samuel White]], [[Cowes]]
| 20 September 1937
| 26 September 1938
| 28 April 1939
| Mined, 2 May 1941, and sank 2 days later
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Jupiter|F85|2}}
| [[Yarrow & Company]], [[Scotstoun]]
| 28 September 1937
| 27 October 1938
| 25 June 1939
| Hit a mine during the [[battle of the Java Sea]], 27 February 1942, and sank the following day
|-
! scope="row"|''Jubilant''
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}
| Ordered March 1937, cancelled December 1937
|}
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=ldr|Flotilla leader}}
}}

===K class===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kelly|F01|2}} {{efn|name=ldr}}
|[[Hawthorn Leslie & Company]], [[Hebburn]]
| 26 August 1937
| 25 October 1938
| 23 August 1939
| Sunk by German aircraft, 23 May 1941
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kandahar|F28|2}}
|[[William Denny & Brothers]], [[Dumbarton]]
| 18 January 1938
| 21 March 1939
| 10 October 1939
| Mined off [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]], 19 December 1941, and later scuttled
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kashmir|F12|2}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Javelin''}})
| [[John I. Thornycroft & Company|Thornycroft]], [[Woolston, Hampshire|Woolston]]
| 18 November 1937
| 4 April 1939
| 26 October 1939
| Bombed by German aircraft, 23 May 1941
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kelvin|F37|2}}
|[[Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company|Fairfield Shipbuilding]], [[Govan]]
| 5 October 1937
| 19 January 1939
| 27 November 1939
| Sold for scrap, 1949
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Khartoum|F45|2}}
|[[Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson|Swan Hunter]], [[Wallsend]]
| 27 October 1937
| 6 February 1939
| 6 November 1939
| Sank in [[Perim]] Harbour after an exploding torpedo air vessel started a fire which reached the aft magazine, 23 June 1940
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kimberley|F50|2}}
|[[John I. Thornycroft & Company|Thornycroft]], [[Woolston, Hampshire|Woolston]]
| 17 January 1938
| 1 June 1939
| 21 February 1940
| Sold for scrap, 1949
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kingston|F64|2}}
|[[J. Samuel White]], [[Cowes]]
| 6 October 1937
| 9 January 1939
| 14 September 1939
|Seriously damaged by the {{ship|Italian battleship|Littorio}} during the [[Second Battle of Sirte]], 22 March 1942. Bombed by German aircraft while in dry dock, 11 April 1942, and written off as a constructive total loss.
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Kipling|F91|2}}
|[[Yarrow & Company]], [[Scotstoun]]
| 26 October 1937
| 19 January 1939
| 22 December 1939
| Bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Mersa Matruh, 11 May 1942
|}
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=ldr|Flotilla leader}}
}}

===N class===
''Note: The N-class destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy were manned and commissioned by the Australians, but remained the property of the British government.''
[[File:HMAS Nepal FL4204.jpg|thumb|right|{{HMAS|Nepal|G25|6}} underway]]
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data for N-class destroyers of the Royal Netherlands Navy
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Noble|G84|2}}
| rowspan="2" |[[William Denny and Brothers|Denny]]
| 10 July 1939
| 17 April 1941
| 20 February 1942
|  To the Netherlands as {{HNLMS|Van Galen|G84|2}} 1942, sold for scrap, 1957
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Nonpareil|G16|2}}
| 22 May 1940
| 25 June 1941
| 30 October 1942
| To Netherlands as {{HNLMS|Tjerk Hiddes|G16|2}} 1942. To [[Indonesian Navy|Indonesia]] as ''Gadjah Mada'' 1951, sold for scrap, 1961
|}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data for N-class destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMAS|Napier|G97|2}} {{efn|name=ldr}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfield]]
| rowspan="2" | 26 July 1939
| 22 May 1940
| 11 December 1940
| Sold for scrap, 1955
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMAS|Nestor|G02|2}}
| 9 July 1940
| 12 February 1941
| Bombed by Italian aircraft, 15 June 1942, and scuttled
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMAS|Nizam|G38|2}}
|[[John Brown & Company|John Brown]]
| rowspan="2" | 27 July 1939
| 4 July 1940
| 19 December 1940
| Sold for scrap, 1955
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMAS|Norman|G49|2}}
| rowspan="2" |[[John I. Thornycroft & Company|Thornycroft]]
| 30 October 1940
| 29 September 1941
| Sold for scrap, 1958
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMAS|Nepal|G25|2}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Norseman''}})
| 9 September 1939
| 4 December 1941
| 29 May 1942
| Sold for scrap, 1955
|}
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=ldr|Flotilla leader}}
}}

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data for N-class destroyers of the Polish Navy
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row"|{{HMS|Nerissa|G65|2}}
|[[John Brown & Company|John Brown]]
| 26 July 1939
| 7 May 1940
| 12 February 1941
| To Poland as {{ORP|Piorun|G65|2}} 1940, returned as HMS ''Noble'' 1946, sold for scrap in 1955
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{Commons category|J, K and N class destroyer}}
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Great Britain |last1=Campbell |first1=N. J. M.|pages=2–85}}
* {{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=Afridi to Nizam: British Fleet Destroyers 1937–43|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Gravesend, Kent|year=2001|isbn=0-905617-64-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers and Frigates, the Second World War and After|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2006 |isbn=1-86176-137-6|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
* {{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=Haarr|first=Geirr H.|title=The German Invasion of Norway, April 1940|year=2009|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-310-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/germaninvasionof00geir}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hodges |first1=Peter |last2=Friedman |first2=Norman |name-list-style=amp |title=Destroyer Weapons of World War 2 |year=1979 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich |isbn=978-0-85177-137-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Langtree|first=Christopher|title=The Kelly's: British J, K, and N Class Destroyers of World War II |year=2002|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=1-55750-422-9}}
* {{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=March|first=Edgar J.|title=British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission from Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans|year=1966|publisher=Seeley Service|location=London |oclc=164893555}}
* {{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|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

{{J, K and N class destroyer}}
{{WWII British ships}}
{{WWII Dutch ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:J, K And N Class Destroyer}}
[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:J, K and N-class destroyers| ]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]