HMS CAVALIER D73
'C' (CAESAR) Class Destroyer
Walkaround
by Darren Scannell
HMS CAVALIER's keel was laid on February 28th, 1943. She was
launched on April 7th, 1944 and completed on November 22nd,
1944. She was one of 96 emergency destroyers ordered for the war effort
between 1940-42. HMS CAVALIER was privileged to be among
the first ships to be built with a partially welded hull, the forward
and after parts, while amidships remained riveted for strengthening
purposes. The new process
gave the ship additional speed and women were able to handle
the welding more efficiently than the heavy job of riveting,
important at a time when most men were required for active
service.
HMS CAVALIER was commissioned for the first time in January 1945 as
R73. She joined the 6th Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet and served in
Norwegian and Russian waters on convoy duties (including RA64 from
which the Battle Honour "Arctic 1945" was awarded) until the end of the
war in Europe on the 8th May 1945, when she then joined the Western
Approaches Command. During
the war, because of Cavalier's high speed capability, she was selected
to help escort the then troopships RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen
Elizabeth, bringing thousands of American soldiers across the dangerous
war zone of the Atlantic Ocean. After the war she
immediately left to join the British Pacific Fleet and spent a year on
the
East Indies Station, visiting Singapore, Malaysia, Java (with Gurkhas
embarked),
Australia and India (to control the Indian Navy mutiny), returning to
Portsmouth
in mid June 1946 prior to being put into the reserve fleet.
Between 1955 and 1957 Cavalier was modernized. She was taken to
the Thorneycroft yard at Woolston where a modern Daring Class open
bridge was fitted (which she still has), X gun removed, a new gunnery
Mk6M Director installed,
a single 40mm Bofors mounting either side of the Bridge and one twin
40mm
Bofors aft, one bank of four torpedo tubes and twin squid anti
submarine
mortars all fitted, as well as an update on radar equipment.
For CAVALIER’s second commission, her pennant number changed
permanently to D73. In July 1957 she left reserve and joined the 8th
Destroyer Squadron on the Far East Station. She helped with the
troubles in Borneo, took part in the Atomic Bomb tests at Christmas
Island and worked in the Persian Gulf and Singapore areas as well as
Fiji and Hong Kong. The commission concluded in Singapore on
January 1st, 1959, when her crew flew back to England.
On the 4th of January 1959, CAVALIER was commissioned for the third
time. She sailed via Hong Kong to carry out Royal Escort duties
around Australia and then on to Penang, Singapore and Saigon as well as
Japan, Australia again and Tasmania, fitting in many exercises en route
to the various locations, finally returning to Singapore on May 13th
1960 to hand over to a new crew.
The fourth commissioning took place on June 24th, 1960 after the new
crew were flown out from the UK. Following an extensive work up, more
time was spent on exercises in and around Singapore and Hong Kong, then
CAVALIER was plane guard for USS TICONDEROGA CV14 and became honorary
"Tico Tigers" Safety ship in the Pacific for the Queens flight to
Australia. After a visit to Subic
Bay and Manila she went to Guam and Japan. Next were undercover
operations along the Chinese coast and then back to Singapore before
paying off in December 1961.
In Jan 1962 CAVALIER commissioned for the fifth time. Following a large
exercise in the Singapore area, she sailed for Korea and Japan to
restore
good relationships, following the war. Next she went to Australia
for
a goodwill visit, but when the Malaysian troubles started in December
1962,
she was ordered to embark Gurkhas and the Queen's Own Highlanders
troops
from Singapore to Borneo and act as a communications HQ ship. In
January
1963 she returned to Australia as guard ship for the Royal Tour of
Australia
and also visited Fiji, New Zealand, Christmas Island and El Salvador,
before
returning across the Pacific Ocean via El Salvador, the Panama Canal
and
the Bahamas to arrive in Portsmouth on the 26th of May to join the
Reserve
Fleet again, laying up at Devonport and Chatham. On May 21st,1964,
while
being towed from Chatham to Gibraltar for a refit, there was a
collision
with the 17,000-ton Liberian tanker Burgan and a new 25 ft of welded
bow
had to be fitted (the rest of the ship being riveted) before continuing
the
tow. She remained in Gibraltar, during which time her twin 40mm
Bofors
was removed and the Seacat missile system fitted, until the 22nd of
September,
1966, when she left for Portsmouth.
CAVALIER’s sixth commission started in November, 1966 in Portsmouth.
She was assigned to the Home Fleet. In May 1967 she sailed for
the Far East
via the Cape, as the 6-day war between Israel and Egypt had closed the
Suez
Canal, to take up duties on Beira Patrol and escort HMS EAGLE to
Singapore to join the 1st Destroyer Squadron in the Far East Fleet. She
spent some more
time in Australian waters and Beira Patrols, eventually returning to
Devonport
on May 30th, 1968 to join the Western Fleet. She saw service in home
waters
and the Mediterranean until the 23rd of February, 1969, when she
entered
Gibraltar to pay off and to be refitted.
CAVALIER left Gibraltar on the 6th of January, 1970 for Portsmouth,
where she was to commission for the seventh and last time on March
6th. She served in the Mediterranean and home waters as plane
guard for HMS ARK ROYAL, after which CAVALIER spent her twilight years
showing the flag and recruiting. On the 5th of July, 1972, the 28
year old Cavalier paid off for the last time
in Chatham Dockyard having covered an estimated 564,140 miles during
her
career.
On 4th October 1977 CAVALIER was sold to the HMS Cavalier Trust for
£65,000 and she was towed to Portsmouth for docking. She was
opened to the public in August 1982, but by October 1983 she had to
close due to funding shortfalls. She was towed to a new home at
Brighton Marina in November 1983. In 1987 South
Tyneside Council (her adoptive home from 1944) bought her for
£70,000 from the HMS Cavalier Trust, with plans to create a
National Ship and Shipbuilding Exhibition Centre. More problems ensued
and the ship was eventually sold to
HMS Cavalier (Chatham) Trust and on the 16th of May 1999, Cavalier
returned to Chatham Dockyard, and the care of Chatham Historic Dockyard
Trust (CHDT), where she now resides in No2 Dock, birthplace of HMS
Victory as a museum ship.
Ships in Class
| Name |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Last known disposition |
| R07 CAESAR (ex R58
RANGER) |
John Brown (Clydebank) |
Feb 14/43
|
1944
|
scrapped 1966 |
| R01 CAPRICE (ex
SWALLOW |
Yarrow (Clyde) |
Sep 16/43 |
Apr 5/44 |
scrapped 1975 |
| R62 CASSANDRA (ex
TOURMALINE) |
Yarrow (Clyde) |
Nov 29/43 |
1944 |
Torpedoed Dec 11/44 by U-boat
repaired at Gibraltar, 1945
scrapped 1966 |
| R85 CAMBRIAN (ex
SPITFIRE) |
Scotts (Greenock) |
Dec 10/43 |
Jul 17/44 |
scrapped 1975 |
| R30 CARRON (ex
STRENUOUS) |
Scotts (Greenock) |
Mar 28/44 |
1944 |
scrapped 1967 |
| R73 CAVALIER (ex
R04
PELLEW) |
J.S. White (Cowes) |
Apr 7/44 |
Nov 22/44 |
1975 preserved as museum
permanently moored at Southampton |
| R15 CAVENDISH (ex
SIBYL) |
John Brown (Clydebank) |
Apr 12/44 |
1944 |
scrapped 1966 |
| R25 CARYSFORT (ex
R49 PIQUE) |
J.S. White (Cowes) |
July 25/44 |
Feb 20/45 |
scrapped 1970 |
Specifications
| Length(O/A) |
362.75' |
| Length (W/L) |
350' |
| Beam |
35.75'' |
| Draft |
10' / 17' max |
| Full Load |
2,530 tons |
| Standard |
1,900 tons / 1,710
tons (light) |
| Boilers |
2 Admiralty 3 drum type (300
lb/sq.in. 640 degrees F.) |
| Turbines |
2 Parsons geared |
| Horsepower |
40,000shp |
| Shafts |
2 |
| Max Speed |
36.75 knots
|
| Endurance |
1,300 NM @ full speed
2,800-3,000 NM @ 20 knots
5,300 NM @ 15 knots |
| Main Gun |
4 x 4.5" DP Mk IV / Twin x |
| AAW |
2 x 40mm Bofors Mk4 AA with
Hazemeyer mounting amidships (Caprice 4 x 2 pdr (40mm)
pom-pom (1x4) in lieu of 40mm)
6 x 20mm Oerlikon Mk.5 AA (2x2 + 2x1) in
1945 the majority had their 20mm replaced by 16 - 2 pdr pom-pom (4x4) |
| Torpedoes |
8 x 21" Mark VIII Torpedo
Tubes (2x4) |
| ASW |
2 stern racks for Mk.VIII 300 lb
canister depth charges
4 depth charge throwers |
| Air Search Radar |
Type 291 Air Warning
Radar |
| Surface Search Radar |
R.D.F
Type 271/272 P/Q
Type 86TBS aerials
HA/LA Director |
| Sonars |
Type 123A Asdic with
Electric Gyro Compass
Type 127 'Sword' depth detector |
| Crew
|
12
Officers, 180 Ratings (Wartime) (225) |
