View source for O and P-class destroyer

{{Short description|Class of destroyers of the Royal Navy}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Oribi.jpg
|Ship caption=HMS ''Oribi'' in 1946
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=O and P class
|Builders=
|Operators=*{{navy|United Kingdom}}
*{{navy|Pakistan}}
*{{navy|Turkey}}
|Class before= {{sclass2|L and M|destroyer|4}}
|Class after= {{sclass2|Q and R|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses= 4 inch O, 4.7 inch O, P
|Built range=
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=16
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=4
|Total ships retired=12
|Total ships preserved=
}}{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=P class<ref name="lenton">''British and Empire Warships of the Second World War'', H. T. Lenton, Greenhill Books, {{ISBN|1-85367-277-7}}</ref>
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*1,690 [[long ton|tons]] (1,717 [[tonne]]s) standard
*1,640 [[long ton|tons]] (1,666 [[tonne]]s)
*2,250 tons (2,286 tonnes) full load
|Ship length={{convert|345|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam={{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draught={{convert|9|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion= 2 x Admiralty 3-drum [[water-tube boiler]]s, [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp on 2 shafts
|Ship speed=36.75 [[knot (unit)|kt]]
|Ship range=3,850 [[nautical mile|nmi]] at 20 kt
|Ship's complement=176 (228 as [[flotilla leader]])
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
* 5 × [[QF 4-inch naval gun Mk V|QF 4&nbsp;in Mk.V (102 mm L/45)]], single mounts HA Mk.III
* 4 × [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2 pdr Mk.VIII]] (40 mm L/39), quad mount Mk.VII
* Up to 6 x [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|QF 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon]], single mount P Mk.III
* 4 (1x4) tubes for [[British 21-inch torpedo|21 inch torpedoes Mk.IX]]
* 4 × throwers and 2 x racks for 70 [[depth charge]]s
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (4.7 inch O class)
|Ship class=
|Ship displacement=*1,610 tons (1,636 tonnes)
*2,270 tons (2,306 tonnes) full load
|Ship complement= 176 (217 in leader)
|Ship armament=
* 4 × [[QF 4.7-inch Mk IX & XII naval gun|QF 4.7-inch (120-mm) Mk IX guns]], single mounts CP Mk.XVIII
* 1 × [[QF 4-inch naval gun Mk V|QF 4 in Mk.V (102 mm L/45)]], mount HA Mk.III
* 4 × [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2 pdr Mk.VIII (40 mm L/39)]], quad mount Mk.VII
* Up to 6 x QF 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon, single mount P Mk.III
* 4 (1x4) tubes for 21 in torpedoes Mk.IX
|Ship notes=  Other characteristics as per P class
}}{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (4 inch O class)
|Ship displacement=*1,540 tons (1,564 tonnes)
*2,220 tons (2,255 tonnes) full load
|Ship armament=
* 4 × [[QF 4-inch naval gun Mk V|QF 4 in Mk.V (102 mm L/45)]], single mount HA Mk.III
* 4 × [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2 pdr Mk.VIII (40 mm L/39)]], quad mount Mk.VII
* Up to 6 x QF 20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon, single mount P Mk.III
* 8 (2x4) tubes for 21 in torpedoes Mk.IX
* Up to 60 mines (where fitted-for)
|Ship notes=  Other characteristics as per P class
}}
|}

The '''O and P class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of [[destroyer]]s of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Royal Navy]]. Ordered in 1939, they were the first ships in the [[War Emergency Programme destroyers|War Emergency Programme]], also known as the '''1st''' and '''2nd Emergency Flotilla''', respectively. They served as [[convoy]] escorts in [[World War II]], and some were subsequently converted to fast second-rate [[anti-submarine]] frigates in the 1950s.

==Design==
The O and P class were based on the hull and machinery of the preceding [[J, K and N-class destroyer|J class]], but with more sheer forward to counter the poor riding qualities of the Js. These ships used the [[Fuze Keeping Clock]] HA Fire Control Computer.<ref>Destroyer Weapons of WW2, Hodges/Friedman, {{ISBN|0-85177-137-8}}</ref>

===O class===
The O-class ships were built in two groups of four. The first group had 4.7&nbsp;inch guns. They were in low-angle mounts which could elevate to only 40 degrees, and were additionally fitted with a 4-inch [[anti-aircraft]] gun in place of one set of torpedo tubes. The second group had {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns in high-angle mounts and were fitted to act as minelayers; they could be recognized by the flat "beaver tail" stern over which the mines were dropped.

When carrying mines they had to land Y gun, their torpedo tubes and depth charges. The designed anti-aircraft armament was one quadruple [[QF 2-pounder naval gun|QF 2-pounder "pom pom"]] and a pair of quadruple [[Vickers .50 machine gun|0.5-inch Vickers A/A machine guns]]. The latter proved to be outdated, and were replaced by [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20&nbsp;mm Oerlikon gun]]s as they became available, with a total of six single mounts eventually being carried.

===P class===
The P class were repeats of the O class, armed entirely with 4&nbsp;inch guns, in high-angle mounts fitted with a new tall design of shield which did not require the ships to lose a set of torpedo tubes to take on further AA guns.

==Ships==

===O class===
All ships survived the war. Five of them were involved in the [[Battle of the Barents Sea]], ''Onslow'' being badly damaged. After the battle, the ships were refitted with tall lattice masts instead of the normal mast.
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:97%;"
|+ Construction data for 4.7-inch-armed ships
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Pennant number
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Onslow|G17|2}}{{efn|name=flotldr}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Pakenham''}})
| G17
|[[William Denny and Brothers|John Brown]]
| 1 July 1940
| 31 March 1941
| 8 October 1941
| To Pakistan 1949 as ''Tippu Sultan'', sold out
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Offa|G29|2}}
| G29
| rowspan="3" |[[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfield]]
| 15 January 1940
| 11 March 1941
| 20 September 1941
| To Pakistan 1949 as ''Tariq'', sold for scrap in 1959.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Onslaught|G04|2}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Pathfinder''}})
| G04
| 14 January 1941
| 9 October 1941
| 19 June 1942
| To Pakistan 1951 as ''Tughril'', sold out.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Oribi|G66|2}} ({{nowrap|ex-''Observer''}})
| G66
|15 January 1940
| 14 January 1941
| 5 July 1941
| To Turkey 1946 as ''Gayret'', sold out.
|}
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=flotldr|Flotilla leader}}
}}

{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:97%;"
|+ Construction data for 4-inch-armed ships
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Pennant number
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Obdurate|G39|2}}
| G39
| rowspan="2" |[[John Brown & Company|Denny]]
| 25 April 1940
| 19 February 1942
| 3 September 1942
| Sold for scrap in 1964 at [[John Cashmore Ltd|J Cashmore]]'s, [[Newport, Wales|Newport]], [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]].
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Obedient|G48|2}}
| G48
|22 May 1940
| 30 April 1942
| 30 October 1942
| Sold for scrap - 1964.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Opportune|G80|2}}
| G80
| rowspan="2" |[[John I. Thornycroft & Company|Thornycroft]]
| 28 March 1940
| 21 February 1942
| 14 August 1942
| Sold for scrap - 1955.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Orwell|G98|2}}
| G98
| 20 May 1940
| 2 April 1942
| 17 October 1942
| Converted to [[Type 16 frigate]] 1952, sold for scrap – 1965.
|}
All of the O-class ships with 4-inch armament were fitted for minelaying.

===P class===
They served mainly in the [[Mediterranean]], where four ships were lost.
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:97%;"
|+ Construction data for 4-inch-armed ships
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Pennant number
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Completed
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Pakenham|G06|2}}{{efn|name=flotldr}} (ex-''Onslow'')
| G06
|[[Hawthorn Leslie & Company|Hawthorn Leslie]]
| 6 February 1940
| 28 January 1941
| 4 February 1942
| Disabled by gunfire from [[Italian Navy]] torpedo boats {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Cassiopea|1936|2}} and {{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Cigno|1936|2}} off [[Marsala]] 16 April 1943 in the [[Battle of the Cigno Convoy]], abandoned and scuttled by [[sister ship]] HMS ''Paladin'' following the action
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Paladin|G69|2}}
| G69
|[[William Denny and Brothers|John Brown]]
| 22 July 1940
| 11 June 1941
| December 1941
| Converted to Type 16 frigate 1954, sold for scrap in 1962
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Panther|G41|2}} 
| G41
| rowspan="2" |[[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfield]]
| 15 July 1940
| 28 May 1941
| 12 December 1941
| Bombed and sunk by German Junkers Ju 87 'Stuka' aircraft in [[Scarpanto Strait]] on 10 September 1943.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Partridge|G30|2}}
| G30
|3 June 1940
| 5 August 1941
| 22 February 1942
| Torpedoed by German Submarine [[German submarine U-565|''U-565'']] off [[Oran]], 18 December 1942.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Pathfinder|G10|2}}
| G10
|[[John Brown & Company|Hawthorn Leslie]]
| 5 March 1940
| 10 April 1941
| 13 April 1942
| On 11 February 1945, Pathfinder was hit by a Japanese bomber off Ramree, and was taken out of service. She was used as an aircraft target, sold for scrap in 1948.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Penn|G77|2}}
| G77
| rowspan="3" |[[Vickers Armstrongs]]
| rowspan="3" |26 December 1939
| 12 February 1941
| 10 February 1942
| Sold for scrap - 1949.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Petard|G56|2}}
| G56
| 27 March 1941
| 15 June 1942
| Converted to Type 16 frigate, sold for scrap 1967.
|-
! scope="row" |{{HMS|Porcupine|G93|2}}
| G93
| 10 June 1941
| 31 August 1942
| Torpedoed by German submarine {{GS|U-602||2}} in the Mediterranean on 9 December 1942 which broke her in two; she was never repaired, but hulked as ''Pork'' and ''Pine'', sold for scrap, 1947.
|}
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=flotldr|Flotilla leader}}
}}

==See also==
*[[Type 16 frigate]]: postwar conversion of some O and P class vessels into second-rate fast anti-submarine frigates.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* ''Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893–1981'', Maurice Cocker, Ian Allan, {{ISBN|0-7110-1075-7}}
*{{cite book|last1=Connell|first1=G. G.|title=Arctic Destroyers: The 17th Flotilla|year=1982|publisher=William Kimber|location=London|isbn=0-7183-0428-4}}
*{{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=Obdurate to Daring: British Fleet Destroyers 1941–45|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Windsor, UK|year=2001|isbn=978-0-9560769-0-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|date=2006|isbn=1-86176-137-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|author-link=Henry Trevor Lenton|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998|isbn=1-55750-048-7}}
*{{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|last1=Raven|first1=Alan|last2=Roberts|first2=John |title=War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes|publisher=Bivouac Books|location=London|year=1978|isbn=0-85680-010-4}}
* {{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}}
* {{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}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|O and P class destroyer}}

{{O and P class destroyer}}
{{War Emergency Programme destroyers}}
{{WWII British ships}}

[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:O and P-class destroyers| ]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]