HMS THANET H29
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1942
Prior to departing on her last mission, Thanet had re-shipped her full gun and torpedo armament. She had previously reduced her armament to carry out minelaying duties. Confirmation of final fit comes from divers who have visited her wreck and from official action reports that describe her using all three guns and both torpedo mounts. Her light AA is just a 2pdr and some Lewis guns. Colours 507c and 507b.
MOUNTBATTEN PINK
HMS THANET H28
Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer
Many years ago I was told by an Australian veteran that some of the British ships on the Far East station adopted Mountbatten Pink late in 1941 due to contact with officers from the Mediterranean Fleet. I have found no written evidence of this at all. However, considering the rapid course of events from December 1941 onward and the loss of some ships I cannot entirely discount it. These drawings of Thanet show how she may have looked if dark and light
Mountbatten Pink was applied, instead of the grey seen in black and white photographs. Unofficial schemes were quite common early in WWII. Mountbatten Pink was very popular with crews and thought to have superior qualities. However, research showed that in some conditions it could make the ship more visible, not less. In fading light or at sunset it appeared darker. Its use eventually died out. Colours are Mountbatten Medium and Light.
PB 101
British Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1943
HMS Thracian ran aground at Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941 and was scuttled. The RN considered her too damaged for salvage having even removed some parts. The Japanese raised her as Patrol Boat 101. She is shown here in IJN dull dark grey. There is a 3in AA aft and a 4.7in forward, both of Japanese type. There are triple 25mm guns to port and starboard amidships, another triple behind the aft deck house and twin 13mm on the bridge roof. She has a row of DC throwers and a rack aft. The new bridge is IJN style. The grey is similar to 507b.
PB 101
British Admiralty ‘S’ Class Destroyer 1945
Thracian had been so severely damaged when scuttled by the RN that the Japanese found her mechanically unreliable as an ASW patrol boat. She sailed for Japan and was fitted as a radar trials ship with some patrol boat capability. She now has single 4.7in AA fore and aft and has single 25mm added abreast the bridge. Type 22 radar is carried on a platform over the bridge. The large tower aft was for testing new types of radar. ASW ability has been reduced but she retains the triple 25mm mounts. There are some sources that say these were possibly 25mm twins, especially the aft mount.
‘V&W’ CLASS DESTROYERS IN FLEET AND SRE CONFIGURATION
HMS VORTIGERN I37
SRE Destroyer 1941–2
A typical WA scheme using green without blue as originally intended. She has a HF/DF mast aft to enable the interception of U-boat signals. Her AA armament is a 12pdr in place of the aft tubes, single 2pdrs behind the aft funnel and single 20mm in the bridge wings. There is a Type 276 radar at the masthead. Colours are white and WA green.
HMS VETERAN I72
Modified ‘W’ Class Destroyer 1942
There were many variations of the WA scheme but a green aft funnel is typical. The modified ‘W’ class did not have the usual thin fore funnel of most ‘V&W’ class ships. She is fitted with a Hedgehog forward and her bridge has a Type 271 radar lantern. The masthead Type 276 was soon to be replaced. Most SREs retained some torpedo tubes. The Type X one-ton DC was usually fired from a torpedo tube against very deep U-boats. Colours are WA green on white.
HMS VIVACIOUS I36
Modified ‘W’ Class Destroyer 1942–3
Blue was often substituted for green due to wartime shortages and became the most famous image of the WA scheme; however, it was originally intended to have been pale green. All light AA are 20mm. Type 271 and 291 radars are carried. Colours are WA blue and white.
HMS WIVERN I66
‘W’ Class Destroyer 1942
WA schemes were often very simple, as shown here with WA blue and white. Note Wivern has a HF/DF mast aft. Her radar lantern is amidships raised on a lattice platform. Type 291 radar at the masthead, replacing Type 276 which was far too noisy and easy for U-boats to detect. She still has single 2pdr AA guns amidships.
HMS VENETIA D53
‘V’ Class Destroyer 1939–40
A typical ‘V&W’ in plain mid-grey 507b. ‘Y’ gun has been replaced by extra DCs, the only wartime alteration. Corticene decks were retained by most. There is a single old-model 2pdr amidships but she probably had twin Lewis guns in the bridge wings.