HMS SKATE H39
Admiralty ‘R’ Class Destroyer 1943–5
Old but still useful! This is Skate as she looked at the Normandy landings in 1944. She has a Type 271 radar lantern on a lattice mast aft. The ship finally paid off in 1945 having lasted longer in service than many younger vessels. Note the late war Admiralty standard scheme of B30 dark olive panel camouflage on B55 overall. Her AA armament comprises a 12pdr and four 20mm. Her deck is now dark grey. The single LA 4in was original but the barrel had been changed several times. She carried a powerful load of DCs and could deliver quite a punch in ASW operations. Type 291 radar is at the foretop. Colours B30 and B55.
HMS STURDY H28
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
This shows Sturdy as a minelayer but with contrast camouflage of unofficial design and colours. Two LA 4in still carried, and a 12pdr AA aft. Twin Lewis guns in bridge wings. There is a single 2pdr AA on the aft deckhouse. No depth charges. Colours 507c, 507a and B5 edged white on the hull. Corticene brown on decks with MS1.
HMS SARDONYX H26
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1941–4
Sardonyx shows her appearance during the Battle of the Atlantic as an SRE. She has a 12pdr AA amidships, 2pdr AA aft and 20mm. Twin Lewis guns in bridge wings. Eight DC throwers and a very large number of charges carried. The scheme is typical early WA type but she soon moved to the east coast of the UK as her range was too short for the Atlantic convoys. Colours WA green, WA blue, white.
HMS SCIMITAR H21
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1941
Scimitar is depicted in a WA-style camouflage in very pale blue. Ships in this scheme often used pale green or both. Her ASW capacity is huge and she could deliver heavy attacks. The radar fitted is a fixed early Type 286 at the foremast top. Colours white and WA blue.
HMS SHIKARI I85
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1941–4
Shikari altered for escort duty in an Admiralty paint scheme. Note the Type 271 radar on a tower aft. Type 286 and later rotating Type 286P on foremast, itself later replaced by Type 291. Colours white, 507a, 507c, PB10. These ships were overcrowded due to new electronics and weapons. They were also very unhealthy in rough conditions as the crew quarters were continually damp.
Admiralty ‘S’ class destroyers were built at the end of WWI. Although similar to the ‘R’ class the bridge was moved further aft as the previous designs had been very wet forward. The hull was given more sheer and in good weather they were very fast ships. Small 14in torpedo tubes for anti-destroyer work were mounted at the break of the hull, but found too wet when at speed, and soon removed. They were good for the North Sea, but very cramped, small and short-ranged for work in the North Atlantic. Units did serve on distant stations, however.
HMS SALADIN H54
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
Saladin in a green and blue WA-style camouflage which probably suited work on the Eastern Approaches as well. As with her sister ships, she has a big ASW capability. Her light AA is twin Lewis guns in the bridge wings, 20mm between the funnels, a 12pdr amidships and two single 2pdr aft. Radar Type 286 on masthead. WA white, WA blue, WA green. Decks Corticene brown and 507b.
HMS SABRE H18
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
Sabre in a very dark, unofficial or experimental scheme suited for the Icelandic convoy run in poor light conditions. The effect would be to make the ship look shorter or further away. She spent a lot of time with convoys to and from Iceland. Her general appearance and armament is similar to her sister ships in home waters. She has Type 286 radar at the top of the foremast. Colours are PB10 blue, G5/MS1 and mid-blue washed.
HMS TENEDOS H04
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
Schemes in the Far East were locally designed with the paint available. This is taken from photographic records and verbal descriptions. Mostly unmodified, she still carries a full Corticene deck covering. Light AA was twin Lewis guns, a single 2pdr and two single 20mm. The aft gun was removed for minelaying but she carries both sets of twin torpedo tubes. No radar fitted. Colours possibly 507a and 507c, but probably mixed locally.
HMS SCOUT H51
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
Scout is shown in another unofficial scheme probably designed by the officers based on information from other war zones and paint available. Aft gun removed for minelaying which was a major mission for these ships in the run-up to war with Japan. They were at the bottom of the priority list to get radar and modern AA due to the demand in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. No radar fitted. One single 2pdr pom-pom and Lewis guns make up her only AA armament. Colours black, 507c, B6.
HMS STRONGHOLD H50
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
Stronghold is shown as in official records. However, like Thanet, she may have reshipped her aft gun as it